


Hope Like the Sun

by LavenderMidori



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23020033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LavenderMidori/pseuds/LavenderMidori
Summary: Post Episode IX. Our heroes set out to rebuild the Republic in the Galaxy after the fall of the First Order. Still mourning the loss of her mentors and her rival, Rey is hearing voices: Is someone reaching out to her, or is she losing herself in her grief?
Relationships: Finn/Poe Dameron, Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimers:  
> I think it goes w/o saying that I don’t own the Star Wars universe or its characters.
> 
> Authors Note:  
> -So, this is my first fic in over 10 years. Wow.  
> -I’m a mom, wife, writer, (almost) librarian, and grad student. As such, updates will probably be every 1-2 weeks for now.  
> \- I truly love every single Star Wars movie, yes, even Episode I. Empire will always be my favorite.  
> \- I know you’re not gatekeeping, but I’ve been a SW fan since 1990 and I’ve watched and re-watched the movies many, many times since then.  
> \- I’m a bandwagon Reylo.  
> \- I really did love TROS.  
> \- If you enjoy the story, please let me know! Reviews are like water to us dehydrated writers who forget to refill our water bottles during long sessions ;) 
> 
> Anyway, I think that’s it. Thanks for reading!

The twin suns burned on the horizon casting a red-orange glow over the dunes. Rey Skywalker basked in their warmth and felt at ease. For the first time in her life there was a sense of peace in the galaxy.

She had debated clearing the sand from the ruins of the Skywalker moisture farm and staying a while longer, but knew that Poe Dameron would kill her if she kept his precious droid away from home for too long. No, she had decided, this was not to be her home. There was still work to be done all over the galaxy, and she felt sure that she couldn’t stay tethered to one place for too long again.

Rey took a long breath of the warm, dry air and let herself sink into the sand, legs crossed beneath her, BB-8 at her side. She let her mind wander back to the sands of Jakku where she had spent so much of her life waiting. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had dug through scrap leftover from battles fought long before she was born, hoping to find pieces that could be traded for rations.

The suns were nearly hidden behind the dunes now and BB-8 rattled off an inquisitive beep to his companion. She smiled.

“No, BB-8, we’re not staying here. I know you’re not fond of deserts. You can go wait in the ship - I’ll be along soon. Promise,” she told the little astromech.

Exasperated, BB-8 trilled and headed off to the Falcon to wait. Rey had seen many worlds since leaving Jakku with Finn, but something about the desert still spoke to her and soothed her. It reminded her of a simpler time. She laid back into the sand, her head resting on her pack and gazed up at the stars as they appeared in the evening sky. So many systems lay before her and she had no idea where to start. She knew that she would need to regroup with her friends, but beyond that, they were free to travel the galaxy, spreading the news of the Resistance victory at Exegol and rebuilding the Republic. It was a job for someone with more knowledge of such things than her, she thought.

Her eyes clenched as a tear fell, surprising her. She hadn’t realized how emotional she had become. She sat up quickly and realized that the tears were welling up in her eyes and gravity pulled them down as soon as it took hold of them. Rey had not spoken of what had happened on Exegol to Poe and Finn yet, nor did she ever plan to tell them. It was a pain that she would bear, knowing that it would be difficult, likely impossible, for them to ever understand.

“Ben,” she whispered into the wind.

Rey sat up and folded her legs beneath her again and cleared her mind. She could feel the Force flow through her body as she connected with it. She was lighter than air as she joined with this mysterious presence, allowing it to lift her from the ground. A wisp of sand blew up into the wind and circled around her, followed by several more.

“Be with me,” she chanted.

When she lay nearly defeated, Rey had been able to reach out and connect with the Jedi of the past. A connection had opened between them that let their power join hers and gave her the strength that she had needed to defeat Darth Sidious once and for all. She hoped that if all Jedi joined this chorus upon their deaths that there might be one that she would be able to find in the Force.

“Be with me,” tumbled from her lips with a small sob as she realized that she might not be able to find him. “Be with me, Ben. Be with me. Please.”

Rey crashed down to the sand, landing on her hands and knees. Searching the Force for any kind of answers, what was she thinking? Of course that wouldn’t work. He was no Jedi, after all. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gathered fistfuls of sand. Rey stood and steadied herself when a cool breeze blew across her tear-stained cheek, causing her heart to skip a beat. It’s just the wind, she told herself, trudging back to the Falcon’s lowered ramp.

BB-8 was waiting near the door. He clearly hadn’t wanted to stray too far from Rey. She smiled and nudged his dome.

“Chewie, fire up the engines,” Rey called as she entered the cockpit. “Time to go grab a drink.”

The Wookie roared his approval and engaged the engines. The ship took off under Rey’s control and pivoted, headed off in the direction of Mos Eisley. Poe had warned Rey about Mos Eisley, telling her something about scum and villainy and to watch her back, but she couldn’t care less. She could think of nowhere else to honor the late Han Solo than in the cantina where he’d met Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi all those years ago.

Rey instructed BB-8 to stay on the ship, concerned that the cantina’s no droids permitted policy was still in effect. Chewie and his bowcaster led the way as Rey followed, her lightsaber concealed under a loose poncho. Desert planets may be hot during the day, but once the suns had disappeared, the chill had set in quickly.

The bar was packed to the brim that evening and there was hardly room for a Wookie to make it through the crowd. He took Rey by the hand and pushed a few people as needed - no one really felt like pushing back against Chewbacca. They arrived at a table in the corner of the room that was occupied with a group of Duros. Chewie growled something at them in Shriiwook and they quickly dispersed, taking their unfinished beverages with them.

“Well that was rude,” Rey chided him as she took a seat.

He grunted back.

“No, it was very rude. We could have found other seats or stood at the bar,’ she responded.

Chewie looked hurt when he grumbled lowly at her.

She smiled. “This is your booth?”

The Wookie laughed and pointed to the edge of the table where Rey looked and saw a name carved into the wooden surface. She smiled as she read the name: Han Solo.

A waitress no older than Rey approached the table. “Can I get you something to drink? We’re out of Toniray wine, I’m afraid but I recommend the Jet Juice.”

“We’ll have two Corellian Whiskeys, please,” Rey told her, and Chewie cut in. “A whole bottle? Chewie, we do not need an entire bottle of whiskey. Please ignore my friend.”

The waitress grinned. “Last server to ignore a request from a Wookie had their arm ripped off. I’ll grab a bottle and some glasses for you, love.”

Chewie chuckled beside her and Rey smiled. They didn’t exactly have to be anywhere at a certain time, so she supposed it would be all right if they slept in the docking bay for the night.

“So this is really where you met them?” Rey asked, incredulously. Her eyes were wandering over every detail of the cantina. “I heard that Obi Wan had sliced off a patron’s arm when he threatened Master Skywalker. Is that true?”

He nodded and pointed to the spot at the bar where he had been standing with Kenobi when the lightsaber had activated. Chewie told her that it was some time since anyone in the bar had seen a lightsaber and it had caused quite a raucous.

She smiled. “I’d imagine so!”

The waitress returned then with their bottle and three glasses, pouring the first one for each of them and helping herself to the third cup.

“Who are we drinking to tonight, my friends?” She asked.

Chewbacca howled as he lifted his drink.

“He was a good smuggler and an even better man,” Rey added.

Smiling, the waitress clinked glasses with her patrons. “To Han Solo, then. Cheers!”

They each drained their drink in one gulp, although Rey sputtered on the liquid as it burned its way down her esophagus. Chewie slapped her several times on the back, causing her to hold up a hand in protest. She coughed a few more times as she insisted that she was fine.

“Really, I’m ok. I’ve got another toast to make, pass me your glass.” Rey told him. Their waitress had wandered off by now and Rey poured a second drink for each of them, raising hers. “To Ben Solo. May he finally know peace in the Force.”

Chewbacca stared at her for a long moment.

“Are we going to drink or not?” Rey demanded.

He growled in question and Rey breathed out a sigh. She drained her glass and told him the story of the man who had been Kylo Ren.

“I wanted to talk to you sooner, but I knew that it would be difficult,” Rey told him. “For both of us. From the first moment I met him something in me told me that there was still good in him and I was right. Leia was right. So was Han.”

Tears were streaming down her cheeks now and the bottle was nearly half gone. Chewie patted her shoulder with a furry paw and tried to sound reassuring.

“I was alone for so long but when I was with him I just wasn’t. I had spent so long waiting for my parents not knowing that they weren’t what my soul was missing. We had this connection that I can’t even begin to describe. It was like when he was there I felt whole and I think that he felt it, too.” Rey hung her head between her shoulders, a lock of her hair falling in her face. “He had been so very lonely.”

And then she was wrapped in a pair of massive Wookie arms as Chewie thanked her for sharing with him what his little sidekick had gone through after their parting. Her tears soaked into his fur as he patted her head and held her close. There truly was nothing quite as comforting as a hug from a Wookie.

Rey choked back her tears for a moment and poured another glass. Chewie tried to argue with her that she had had enough, but she would not hear it.

“To my parents, who died to protect me,” she said and drank, refilling as soon as the glass was empty.

She raised it again. “To Leia Organa; Princess, general, friend, mentor, and hero of the Rebellion and the Resistance.”

The whiskey burned, but it did not deter the next pour. “To Luke Skywalker; Jedi Master, Rebel Hero, and galaxy’s worst uncle.”

Rey choked now as she swallowed. “One for you, Chewie, my friend. For being with me every step of the way. For letting me jump in an escape pod and go try to save Ben from himself, for making sure that Poe didn’t blow up the Falcon, and for bringing half the galaxy to battle the Final Order. We’d have been lost without you.”

The bottle was nearly gone and she emptied the last of the amber liquid into her cup. “And Ben, oh my stars. Thank the maker for you, Ben Solo. You saved my life and showed me that there is still good in even the darkest of places. Goodbye, my love.”

Rey drained the last of the drink and the cup fell back to the table, shattering. She saw a streak of red and then felt weightless and then everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey wakes up with quite the hangover before setting out to explore Mos Eisley.

Rey couldn't be sure what kind of vehicle had run her over, but she was sure that whatever it was had been at least the size of the Falcon. She rolled over in her bed, clutching at her head and realized that she was about to be sick. She barely managed to pull herself out of her berth and into the 'fresher before she was suddenly, and violently, haunted by all of the drink that she had consumed the previous night.

When she emerged into the main room of the ship, she was surprised to see Chewie asleep at the dejarik table. He stirred as the metal flooring clanked with each of Rey's steps.

"Sorry to wake you," she muttered, her cheeks flushed and her hair disheveled.

He shrugged and stretched out his enormous frame with a yawn. She wondered if he'd stationed himself there to make sure that she hadn't gotten herself into any trouble overnight. Rey set about making some caf in the Falcon's small galley. She was sure that they could both use a cup after drowning their sorrows. She knew that she should eat, as well, but nothing available seemed to call out to her cravings. It was still somewhat strange to think that she could just hop off of the ship and go trade credits for food.

Rey found it amusing that the mugs available in the galley were all Wookie sized. Perhaps Han must have enjoyed drinking caf enough to warrant such big vessels. She smiled at his memory, knowing that she was following in his footsteps in this small way. She poured a cup for her companion and herself and savored the hot beverage as it warmed her soul and soothed her aching body.

"I'm sorry for last night," Rey said over the rim of her mug.

Chewie shook his head at her.

"Truly. I shouldn't have put that burden on you to know what truly happened there. It's in the past. I've just got to pick up and carry on."

He slung a heavy arm around her and dragged her in for a hug before grunting some words of wisdom in her direction.

Rey smiled. "Yeah, me too. Want to come along and find some food out in town? I could use a proper meal before we get back to work."

Chewie elected to stay behind and make some small repairs on the ship, but Rey was eager to grab some food and explore Mos Eisley for a bit before they took off towards Ajan Kloss. Surely she wouldn't find too much trouble while trying to rustle up some food, but still she packed some credits, a book, and her data pad in her satchel and clipped her lightsaber to her belt before wrapping her torso in a light shawl to protect her from the rays of both of the system's suns.

The streets bustled with activity. Shops were set up for the day and people of all species were out perusing their wares. Rey stopped by a stall selling jewelry and admired the pendants. She'd never afforded herself the luxury of wearing anything that wasn't practical on Jakku and didn't see a reason to start now. Then she remembered Leia and her many pieces. Heirlooms, or gifts from Han, most likely, she thought.

The shopkeeper noticed her after a moment and came to her side. "Found something you like, dear? Rings are really my specialty. Everything you'll find is handmade by yours truly."

Rey beamed at her. "I'm just looking. They're all lovely, but I'm not sure if I would ever have the occasion to wear such beautiful pieces."

"Nonsense, child, you can wear anything anytime and anywhere! Try something on. I'm sure you'll love it." She told her.

Rey reached for a fairly simple golden ring with a design hammered into its surface. She slipped it onto her finger and admired it. It gleamed in the light of the early afternoon. It fit her perfectly, but still, she wasn't sure if she should waste the credits on something as trivial as jewelry. She frowned and removed it, putting it back on the stand.

"It's really beautiful, thank you, but I don't think I should just now." She said to the woman with a sad smile.

"I'll hang on to it for you - pick it up next time that you're back, then." The woman gave her a smile and returned to her work.

Rey felt an emptiness where the ring had been a moment before, but she pushed the thought from her mind. Jedi were not materialistic and she didn't recall Master Skywalker having any such baubles. Perhaps another time.

She found a cafe a little off the beaten path that served some local specialties and decided to try her luck with the cuisine. She settled on a Bantha steak with mashed tubers and some kind of green vegetable that she had never seen before. Food on Jakku had been both scarce and bland so Rey savored every bite of the well seasoned dish.

Rey wandered a while longer through the town taking in the sights and admiring the small shops. There were robes, tunics, and leggings of many colors available at one stall and she decided to purchase some. Everything on her wardrobe had been battle worn and might not be the most suitable for wearing to any kind of diplomatic situations that might arise once she'd rejoined the resistance forces and leaders.

Making her way back towards the berth where the Falcon was docked, Rey sensed that she was being followed. She was suddenly thankful that her lightsaber was at her side, should she need it. She felt eyes on her back as she scanned the items for sale. She took her time now to see if she could spot her shadow in the crowd. Rey closed her eyes and reached out with the Force. It was then that she realized that she was being followed but she did not sense any danger. Just then, a small girl ploughed into Rey's thigh before quickly hiding behind a rack of robes.

"Are you lost? Do you need any help?" Rey asked her as the girl pulled a piece of fabric in front of her face.

She shook her head and finally spoke. "Are you Rey Skywalker?"

Rey smiled kindly at the girl. "I am."

"My nanna said she met you at the old Lars Homestead. She didn't think there were anymore Skywalkers." The girl said softly.

"I came to see where the Skywalkers came from. Do you know about them?" Rey asked her.

"Just that there are stories about them being Jedi knights. Are you a Jedi?" The girl asked, her eyes finding Rey's lightsaber.

She nodded to the girl. "I am. What's your name?"

"Alara. Alara Denz." She replied.

"Well, Alara Denz, what do you know of the Jedi?"

"They help people and protect them. That's what nanna says. I wish I could be a Jedi, too." The girl answered, beaming.

"Close your eyes, Alara," Rey instructed the girl. "Reach out with your feelings and see if you can sense what's around you."

The girl obliged and a serene look passed over her face. She was quiet for a long while before her eyes snapped back open and her jaw dropped.

"Watch out!" Alara cried, pulling Rey to the ground with her as a blaster bolt fired off over their heads.

Rey whirled around with her lightsaber ignited to face the oncoming danger. Stormtroopers. She held up her hand to channel the Force towards them and pushed the three armored figures into the rough duracrete wall behind them.

"We are no longer enemies," Rey told them with a loud, clear voice.

"Bantha spit," the one who had recovered the fastest retorted. "You're resistance scum and our orders from the Supreme Leader are to bring you in."

That remark stung, but she collected herself. "The Supreme Leader is dead' the First Order has fallen."

The troopers all looked to each other as if one of them could confirm that she was lying, before the woman asked her, "How do we know that that is the truth? You could be using the Force on us."

Rey extinguished her saber and approached them. She could feel in the Force that the troopers were anxious and untrusting and she could not blame them. Standing in front of the one that fashioned herself as their leader, Rey removed the woman's helmet and saw a face younger than her own staring back.

"Were you taken? Do you remember where you come from?" She asked her.

The girl shook her head. "You're not going to trick me with this mock kindness, Jedi! Get the binders on her."

The other troopers looked to each other before setting down their weapons. A placed a hand on the woman's shoulder when he spoke to her.

"We haven't heard from command in days, KT. I don't think that she's lying," he told her before turning to Rey. "Did you kill Kylo Ren?"

"I did not," she replied. "Ben Solo gave his life for mine and helped to destroy the Final Order. Your leadership is all gone. The rebuilding will start soon and we are hoping to gain access to First Order records on where you've all come from so that you can get home if you'd like."

Alara watched on from behind Rey in awe. She knew that Jedi were fierce warriors, but she never imagined that the attack by the stormtroopers would result in them laying down their blasters.

"Come, let's have a drink and I can answer any questions that you might have," Rey told them. "Alara, would you like to join us?"

The girl beamed and took Rey's hand as they headed off towards the milk stand.

"So Kylo Ren renounced the First Order?" The trooper called KT asked, her eyes wide.

"He did. Kylo Ren died on Kef Bir and Ben Solo was reborn. He helped to defeat Emperor Palpatine on Exegol and gave his life for mine there." Rey told them. "It was incredibly selfless and he became one with the Force."

Rey had learned that the troopers were called KT-1287, RT-0710, and DL-1026. They sat sipping blue milk in what little shade they could find nearby. The suns were sweltering to Rey in her light tunic and leggings - she could only imagine how the troopers felt in full gear.

"We were kids that were taken," KT told her then. "I never would have chosen this life, but it kept me fed and alive. I can't believe that there were others who deserted. It makes me wish that we had seen that path and taken it."

The Jedi placed her hand over the other woman's on the table and looked into her green eyes. "No one will fault you for not deserting. It's what we do when we rebuild that will matter, KT. I have a ship and you are all welcome to come with me to start over and start searching for your families if you'd like."

The troopers all smiled at that and DL responded, "We'd like that very much. We were just on a scouting mission out here and once we landed we lost contact with our command. We had heard whispers of the fall but couldn't believe it. I still can't, but I'm glad."

Rey smiled at them. "You must have felt very alone out here with no contact. I can't imagine that the last few days have been easy."

DL drained their drink. "The last few days? More like the last 15 years! Thank you, Rey. Thank you for talking to us instead of fighting back. I think I can speak for the three of us when I say that we're very grateful to you for the chance."

"It's the right thing to do. We've got to set an example for the future, haven't we?" Rey responded with a smile before finishing her own drink. "Speaking of which, Alara, let's get you back to your Nanna. I would hate for her to worry."

Alara pouted. "But I want to go with you!"

"I know how exciting it must seem to get away from a planet that is just desert from horizon to horizon, but I promise that we're not going anywhere very fun. I'll be back soon enough, little one." Rey told the girl.

She smiled. "When you come back, will you teach me to be a Jedi like you?"

Rey, thinking of the girl's quick instinct when the troopers had appeared considered her words. "I just might, Alara Denz. But for now, it's back home for you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Resistance begins to rebuild and Rey returns to Ajan Kloss.

Chapter 3

"Kriff," Poe Dameron muttered under his breath as he heard his name called from behind him. "Walk and talk, kid, I've got another meeting in 5 minutes."

"General, I know that you're busy, but we really need these supply orders signed off on. The delegation from Naboo will be arriving shortly to negotiate our use of the Naberrie estate during reconstruction, but we might want to keep everyone fed and restock our supplies while we work out those details," a young woman said, chasing him with a data pad.

Poe nodded his approval and took the data pad to enter in his override code. "Get it taken care of, Tahiri. I'll be out all afternoon so let Connix know if you need anything else."

"Yes sir, General Dameron." She gave him a quick salute and retreated.

The General had spent years longing for a command, but now that it was his he'd give anything to just soar around in his X-Wing blowing things up. That is, if there were actually still things out there to blow up.

"Any word from her?" Finn asked as he fell into step beside his friend, having spotted him walking towards their makeshift conference rooms.

"Don't you think I would have told you already if there was?" Poe replied tersely.

Finn held up his hands in defense. "No need to get snippy, Poe, I know we're all stretched pretty thin. I'm headed into this one with you with some reports from the mechanics on the fleet."

Poe stopped in his tracks. "I'm sorry. I'm just. This is a lot and I don't have a clue what I'm doing. Where the hell is Leia when we need her, right?"

"You're doing fine. We all are. Just keep moving forward. Literally - we've got this meeting in t-minus 2 minutes." Finn clapped his friend on the back to set him off in the right direction. "I'm sure it will be fine."

"We're running dangerously low on funds," came the news that no one wanted to hear as Poe and Finn joined other fledgling New Republic leaders around a large round table. Some of the members of the council were attending via holo, but most were present in the meeting room.

Poe met eyes with Admiral D'acy, who had delivered the blow. "How dangerously low?"

"We've got enough to last us maybe another 3 cycles. We'll have to appeal to the banking clans for any funding beyond that or find some new allies with deep pockets." She replied.

"Guess it's time to turn on the charm then, Dameron," came the voice of Zorii Bliss.

The smuggler turned fledgling diplomat sat opposite him, sans helmet for the first time since he could remember. Her hair fell in ringlets around her face and made him remember why she hid behind the mask - a face like hers was one in a billion systems.

"I made some connections on Corellia back that might be able to help us out now that the First Order has left them high and dry. Finn, let's try to schedule that trip as soon as Rey gets back." Poe said before turning back to Zorii. "And Bliss, I'm sure you've got some contacts in your comm that can help us out."

She scoffed. "Hardly. I don't have any that want to get involved with government regulations."

"What regulations? We're not even a government yet," Finn countered.

"I'll see if I can pull any strings," she conceded.

"Jannah, how is it going with access to the First Order archives?" Poe asked.

She shook her head, her brown curls bouncing with her movement. "No luck so far, General. I've got some allies on the inside of whatever is left of their structure but none with archive clearance. We're going to have to get in there ourselves, I think, but we'll have to find a way to do it diplomatically. We can't risk alienating them any more than they already are if we're going to bring them into the fold."

"Agreed," D'acy replied. "We'll tread carefully there. Perhaps the more former First Order we come into contact with the more we can interest in the project."

Finn cleared his throat and chimed in. "The fight against the Final Order cost us a lot of ships and most of the ones that did come home came back with some extensive damage. I spoke with the chief mechanic this morning and the repairs to the fleet are 80% completed. There is still a large store of parts from scrapped ships that will help with piecing them back together and it looks like we should have all of our ships operational again within a fortnight. We took heavy losses, but a lot of the crews that joined in at Exegol have opted to stay and help for the time being."

"Good news, I like that," Lando Calrissian chimed in from across the room. "Any word yet from Rey and Chewie?"

Poe shook his head. "Not yet, General, and if they don't get their asses back here in the next couple of days I'm going to go out there and bring them back myself."

Lando laughed. "You sound like Leia whenever Luke would run off on one of his adventures. Give her some space, Poe. She might really need it right now."

The younger man nodded. "I know. I just worry she's going to get my droid into some kind of trouble out there."

Zorii raised an eyebrow at him. "Sure, you are. Well, I think that's all we've got for this session. Anyone object to breaking for lunch and getting on with what we need to be doing?"

A chorus of agreements rang around the room. The holos flickered out and those in the room rose from their seats to get back to the real work.

Ajan Kloss was a humid planet covered in old growth jungles. Vines covered trees and rock faces everywhere except for the small area that the resistance had cleared out for their staging area. Even then, their modifications to the landscape had been minimal. Finn wandered around, hands in pockets, and trying to keep his mind clear and open.

It had been a few months now that he had found himself able to feel the energy signatures of other beings around him and he had begun to realize that this was the Force. Perhaps he would never tap into it the way that Rey could and use it's power as a tool, but being able to read a room and get a sense of what those around him were thinking was proving to be useful in these early days of the rebuilding process.

Finn sat on a large rock, legs crossed beneath him, and began to reach out with his mind. He sensed living creatures, mostly small, in the trees and forest around him. He could feel the bustle of resistance members back at the base. He gasped as he realized that there was someone nearby; near and watching him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." Poe said, approaching from behind him.

"It's cool, just didn't see you there. What's up?" Finn asked.

Poe huffed out a long sigh. "How are we supposed to do this? You were a Stormtrooper. I'm a pilot,"

"Spice runner," Finn corrected.

"General," Poe countered. "You're really not going to let that go are you?"

The other man laughed and gave him a shrug. "I mean, it's not every day you find out your best friend was a spice runner in another life."

'Yeah, well we can't all be perfect," Poe retorted.

"I'm not perfect," Finn laughed, "far from it."

Before either of them fully knew what was happening, Poe Dameron had closed the gap between himself and his friend and had planted his mouth fully on Finn's. Their lips melted together for a long moment and the world stopped spinning or was spinning too fast. Neither of them could be sure. They broke apart slowly and their eyes met.

"What the hell was that?" Finn asked, catching his breath.

Poe shook his head. "Sorry. I'm sorry."

What Poe hadn't counted on was Finn grabbing his arm as he turned to leave and pulling him back to him, placing his hand on the side of Poe's scruffy face and kissing him back. "Don't be."

They were both quiet as they rested their foreheads against each other, neither quite sure what to do next. A cool breeze rippled through the jungle and Finn was suddenly very aware of all of Dameron's feelings as they reached him through the Force. Finn smiled and pulled Poe into an embrace that they could have shared forever.

"Kriff," Poe muttered as his comm chirped. He laughed and kissed Finn once again before answering. "Go for Dameron."

"General, we thought you'd want to know that the Falcon is back. Should I let them know you'll meet them at the landing field?" The voice on the other end asked.

"We'll be there," he replied. "Tell her to stay put."

Rey, Chewie, and BB-8 exited the Millennium Falcon followed by their new companions. Finn and Poe caught sight of them as they approached the ship and smiles beamed across both of their faces. Rey caught her friends and pulled them both into a hug as BB-8 rolled around their feet, nuzzling his dome into Poe's leg.

"Hiya, Beebee," he greeted his droid, dropping down to his level to shake him around. "I missed you, buddy! Where did she take you this time? Tatooine? You took my droid to Tatooine? You know he hates sand, Rey!"

Rey had tuned out Poe, however and was introducing Finn to the stormtroopers that they had picked up in Mos Eisley.

"Welcome to the Resistance," Finn told them. "Er, Republic? What are we now? Anyway, glad you're here and not trying to keep the First Order afloat."

KT smiled. "Yeah, something tells me that that would have been a dead end. A lot of troopers look up to you, you know. You'll have to regale us with your stories someday, General."

Warmth spread across Finn's cheeks. "I just did what I thought was right. Now, I'm sure Rey already told you that we're doing what we can to find out where all of the First Order stormtroopers came from, but if you guys want to pick names in the meantime, we'd be happy to stop calling you by your Registration Numbers."

"Way ahead of you, Finn," DL told him. "I'm Delair. KT is Kata and RT is Ryatt. We had a while in hyperspace to start thinking about it."

"All right, well let's get you all debriefed and settled in, then!" Finn exclaimed, leading the group into the comfort of their headquarters.

"Poe," Rey said to get his attention. "Don't be mad about sand - I'll get Beebee-Ate an oil bath as soon as we're settled."

Poe, having seemingly forgotten about being angry with her, pulled her into a hug that surprised her. "I'm just glad you're back and he's in one piece. Glad you're in one piece, too."

"Oh," Rey exclaimed as she hugged Poe back. "Yes, well it's not like we ran into a lot of opposition out there. Has everything been okay here?"

He nodded. "It's fine. I'll catch you up to speed. C'mon, let's go grab some ale."

"It's morning, isn't it?" Rey asked. "Why not grab some caf?"

"Fine, but I'm putting a shot in it and you're not going to stop me, okay?" Poe said pointing a finger in her direction.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Dameron." She replied, following him and BB-8 off towards the dining hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hey! Still with me? Awesome! It's going to take a while for any Reylo components, and I <3 Stormpilot, so there's some shippy goodness in this chapter and still to come. Thanks for reading and please, if you love it or hate it, or even feel indifferent give me a quick review so I know I'm what direction I'm heading in. Thanks again and May the Force Be With You!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio is *finally* reunited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Anxiety/panic attack

Rey sat beside Poe in the dining hall, her mug filled with piping hot caf and a small breakfast platter before her. She tucked in as he started to fill her in on what she’d missed in the time that she’d been away. She supposed he’d tell her about everything except whatever it was that was going on between him and Finn. She smiled.

“What?” He asked suddenly.

“Nothing. I’m just glad to be back.” She replied. “You can keep going. You were at the part where you were telling me that we’re nearly out of funds.”

He ran a hand through his curls and Rey noticed for the first time that they were beginning to show flecks of silver. He took a long swill of his Spiran Caf, a strong drink that they had first encountered during their time at Black Spires Outpost, and smiled.“Yeah, that. So, we’re just about broke, we’re meeting with some folks from Naboo to see if we can move into Leia’s family home outside of Theed, and I kissed Finn.” Poe told her and she grinned. “You don’t have anything to say to that?”

  
Rey’s eyes crinkled as she smiled at her friend and took her hand in his. “I do. I’m happy for you. I take it that he was receptive?”

  
He grinned. “Yeah, something like that.”

  
“Well then, good. We need some happiness in this galaxy, Poe, and these are the little wins that will bring it to us.” She replied, beaming.

  
“So you’re not upset?” He asked, seriously.

  
Rey raised her eyebrows at him. “Why would I be?”

  
And at that moment, Finn plopped down beside her on the bench, grinning.

  
“Why is he drinking Spiran Caf?” He asked Rey.

  
“Seems he had something important to say and needed some liquid courage,” she joked back with her friend.

  
Finn met eyes with Poe then and both of them flushed scarlet.

  
“Stars, you two are idiots. You realize it’s been all over your faces for the entire time we’ve known each other, right?” She huffed. “And no, Poe, I’m not upset. I missed you both. I really am glad to be back.”

  
Finn wrapped his arm around Rey and planted a quick kiss on the top of her head. “Thanks, Rey. We missed you, too. Poe was about to come track down his droid.”

  
Poe emptied his drink and asked, “So, what was up? You left pretty suddenly and we were all pretty worried about you.”

  
Rey’s eyes turned sad as she considered her words. She chewed the bite of food that she had taken a little longer than necessary to avoid speaking, but she could feel their eyes on her and knew that she couldn’t hide forever.

  
“I went to Tatooine to pay my respects. Luke, Leia, Han,” she paused. “And Ben. They’re all gone and I needed some guidance from the Force on what comes next.”

  
Poe started at the last name. “Who’s Ben?”

  
She took a deep breath to tell the story and a sob came out instead.

  
Finn locked eyes with her and spoke his next words gently, “Rey, I felt you die while we were at Exegol. I felt it in the Force. You were gone and then you weren’t.”

  
Tears ran down her freckled cheeks as she choked out the words, “I did die. Ben Solo,” she paused. “Kylo Ren. They were one in the same. He fought the Emperor with me and gave the last of his life to bring me back.”

  
She knew that they didn’t understand, but they both drew her into their arms, Poe moving to her side of the table. They held her close and shielded her from view as she broke down into their embrace.

  
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be like this.” She said after a few moments. “I’m fine.”

  
“You’re not fine and that’s okay,” Poe told her. “We can talk more about it whenever you’re ready or never again if that’s what you want.” He planted a kiss on the top of her head and gripped her hand as she squeezed back in silent gratitude.

Rey had taken solace back on the Falcon in her berth with the ancient Jedi texts that she’d absconded from Ahch-to with surrounding her on the bedspread. She thumbed idly through a volume that looked to be the oldest of them. Translations of the text had been inserted between each page. They were carefully handwritten on some kind of parchment in scrawling calligraphy, in an ink so deep blue that it was nearly black.

  
“Mind some company?” Finn asked, rapping on the wall opposite her bed.

  
She smiled and placed the book at her side. “Not at all.”

  
Rey patted a spot on the bed beside her, inviting him to sit. The Millennium Falcon had not been built for comfort and she found that the only surface that was not unbearable to sit on for any length of time was the thin mattress built into the wall.

  
“You know, if this thing is yours, you could probably take over the captain’s quarters.” He told her. “I’m sure it’s probably more comfortable than this thing.”

  
She shook her head. “If anything, Chewie should take it.”

  
They heard the Wookie grunt at them from somewhere beneath the ship where he must have been doing maintenance.

  
“Fine, neither of us will, then,” she called back. “Guess it’ll just stay as it is.”

  
“So that conversation earlier,” Finn began. “I’ve been trying to have it with you for a while now.”

  
She nodded. “Since Pasana. I know. How long have you realized it?”

  
“I think since Jakku, really. I didn’t know what it was then, though. I think it was how I knew which way to head towards you and BB-8 instead of into the middle of nowhere and a sandy grave,” he replied. “Then it just kept getting stronger. When I fought Ren in that forest it was like I knew where he was going to swing his saber before he did it.”

  
Rey took her friend’s hand in hers. “That’s the Force, Finn. You can feel it, channel it. I can help, but I don’t know that I’d be the best teacher in the galaxy, but I’ll do what I can for you.”

  
Finn beamed. “Yeah, that would be amazing.”

  
They bumped their foreheads together lightly, both smiling.

  
“I’m so glad I found you,” he told her, sincerely. “I never would have believed any of this until I saw it actually work, until I felt it. I just had that feeling that made me turn away from the First Order and then that brought me to Poe and then you. I knew I wasn’t put in this galaxy to do Ren’s bidding, you know?”

  
Rey’s eyebrows knitted together as she nodded quickly in response.

  
“You okay?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

  
She drew her knees to her chest and began to rock back and forth, tears falling down her face for the second time that day. Her chest was tight and she struggled to take in air when she breathed. _If you can’t breathe, you can’t live,_ a voice told her. _If you can’t live you can be with him..._

  
Rey tried to shake off the darkness that was invading her thoughts and found that it was easier to do now as Finn wrapped his arms around her slender form.

  
“Rey,” he whispered. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  
She nodded again to let him know that she’d heard, but the tears came even harder and her body was racked by gulping sobs. She sucked in air the way that a drowned person takes in water and every one of her muscles contracted in pain. Rey wanted to believe that an outside force, some darkness that had crept into her, was responsible for this, but she knew that to be untrue. Whatever was happening to her now was entirely outside of anyone’s control, even her own.

  
“Chewie,” Finn called. “Chewie we need some help up here!”

  
The last thing that Rey would remember was hearing his heavy footsteps clanging on the metal floor and being swept into her friend’s giant, fur-covered arms before darkness wrapped itself around her consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Much. Dialogue. Thanks for hanging in there <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So sorry it took so long to update! This crazy worldwide shut down has had me facing my own anxieties. I hope you’re all well and now that I’m working from home, I really should try to write more, shouldn’t I?

Chapter 5

Rey came to some time later in medbay, unsure of how long she had been there. Rose Tico sat beside her and was pressing a damp cloth to her head. She smiled kindly and gestured for the doctor. Major Kalonia brought over her datapad and sat down in a seat beside them.

  
“Do you know where you are?” She asked.

  
“I’m in medbay,” Rey responded.

  
“And can you tell me your name?” The doctor pressed.

  
She nodded. “Rey.”

  
Kalonia jotted some notes. “Good. Rey, do you know what happened? Do you remember anything?”

  
She shook her head. “Not really, no. What’s happened?”

  
“An acute anxiety attack, my dear. Not the end of the galaxy, but it can be scary nonetheless. How do you feel now?” She was shining a light in Rey’s eye.

  
”Fine, I suppose. Why did it happen?” Rey asked.

  
“That’s for you to find out, Rey,” was the response. “My training is exclusively in dealing with physiology, but I’m sure we can find someone in our ranks with expertise in the human psyche to help you work it out.”

  
Rey’s face scrunched together. “Work what out?”

  
“Whatever feelings you have that did this to you, of course. Open up.” Kalonia shined her light in Rey’s mouth.

  
“You are in perfect health, otherwise. Drink plenty of water today and take this if it starts to happen again. Rose, will you stay with her for a bit while she gets back on her feet? I’ve still got patients with battle injuries, I’m afraid.” Kalonia was a kind woman and must be stretched so thin in the wake of Exegol.

  
Rose nodded. “Of course, Major.”

  
She took the bottle of tablets that the doctor had proffered her and tucked them into a pouch on her belt. Rey realized then that she had been sitting up straight, all of her muscles tense, while she was being examined and she suddenly felt a wave of pain crash into her.

  
“Easy does it, Jedi,” Rose told her, guiding her back onto the bed. “Let’s get you some water and then get you back to the Falcon. Chewie insists that you take the captain’s quarters, by the way. No need to live like a stowaway on your own ship.”

  
Rey shook her head softly. “It’s not mine, it’s Chewie’s.”

  
“That’s not what the Wookie says, and in case you haven’t noticed, no one is really going to argue with him. Besides, Poe already moved your stuff into the room while you were knocked out.” Rose replied, a smile pulling at the edges of her mouth.

  
No, Rey thought, sitting bolt upright. “He didn’t need to do that. He didn’t move my clothes or anything, did he?”

  
“If you’re worried about him touching your undergarments, I don’t think you should be. I think he’s got a thing for someone else.” Rose teased.

  
“No, no, that’s not it. Never mind. It’s fine.” Rey slumped back onto the cot. “Rose, will you walk me back there soon? I think I’m just... tired.”

  
She nodded and moved a stand of hair out of Rey’s face. “Yeah, I can do that. Anything for a Jedi, right?”

  
Rey smiled. “You can just call me your friend, you know.”

Rose insisted that they stop for food on the walk back and Rey could not have been more grateful. They sat and ate. Rose regaled her with stories of Finn’s bravery that she had not been present to witness and she listened intently as Rey told her about the stormtroopers and the girl that she had met on Tatooine.

“I miss Leia,” Rose said suddenly. “I wish she could have been here for this part. Rebuilding is hard without someone who’s done it all before. I’m sure we’ll figure it out, though. Poe and Connix have been pouring over history books from the fall of the Empire and I think that that will help some. I could always use an extra set of hands in the maintenance bay if you need to do something to take your mind off of things, by the way.”

“I would very much appreciate that. I’m not sure yet where I’ll be most useful, and I need to feel like I’m doing something for our cause.” Rey thought for a long moment and drank deeply from her canteen before asking, “Rose, I don’t mean to pry, but have you ever had an anxiety attack?”

  
Her friend nodded. “Yeah. I had them whenever I was separated from my sister when we were kids. Once we realized it was what was causing it, we just stayed together as much as we could. The first few weeks after she died I thought my soul had been torn into two pieces. I felt like spacing myself, even though I knew it wouldn’t do anyone any good. I just hurt a lot and didn’t want to feel like it anymore.”

  
Rey placed her hand over Rose’s. “Thank you, Rose. I’m not glad that you’ve had them, as well, but I am glad to not feel so alone. I’m especially happy that you’re still here.”  
“Me, too.” she returned kindly. “Now, come on, let’s get you back to bed. Doctor’s orders, right?”

They entered the Falcon and Rey realized at once that Poe had, in fact, moved all of her personal belongings into the Captain’s quarters. It did not feel right to claim it as her own, and then she mused about all of the people that could have a rightful stake in it. She had offered the ship back to Lando Calrissian, but he had declined. Han had won it from him fair and square, after all. Chewbacca was happy to stay onboard as first mate, but refused to take ownership of the vehicle. Anyone else who might have once called the ship home was gone.

  
Rey inspected the space and found that her clothes had all been hung neatly in the small wardrobe across from her bed. She found the black sweater hanging behind the new garments that she had bought on Tatooine and realized that the hole in the torso had been patched by an inexpert hand.  
She slipped it off of the hanger and over her head, letting the thick fabric fall down over the camisole and leggings that she had been wearing. The hem fell to the middle of her thighs and the wide neck hung loosely around her shoulders and was determined to slide off of one side or the other. It was then that she marveled at just how much larger than her Ben had been.

  
When he appeared to her as Kylo Ren in the forest with flowing robes and his face obscured, she had thought that there could be nothing more fearsome in the galaxy than the creature that stalked her. Once she resisted his mind probe, however, she realized that he was probably the most broken adversary anyone had ever faced. His soul was splintering with each second that she was in his presence and they were both aware of it.

  
Rey was not usually fond of having that kind of effect on a man, but she was grateful that it gave her some insight into her foe. They had spent the last several years playing a high-stakes game of Lothcat and mouse droid across the galaxy and she never would have guessed that it would come to the end that it did. She was grateful for his sacrifice and for the piece of himself that he shared to save her, but her heart ached to be left in this world without him. She suddenly understood those stories of soul mates who died within moments of each other after decades together.

  
She sat on her bed and pulled her knees to her chest. She tried not to think about it, but couldn’t help but wonder if Ben had ever slept there in that bed. Rey closed her eyes and smiled, wrapped in his sweater like a hug. Perhaps if she wore it to sleep she would dream of him that night. She was keenly aware that someone was lurking near the open door to her quarters, but she did not open her eyes and seeing that she was resting, her visitor left without disturbing her.

Poe was seated at the Dejarik table in the main hold of the Falcon when Rey emerged from her slumber hours later. She normally wasn’t one to sleep that long, but she had felt drained in the wake of her attack. She gestured towards the patched hole in her sweater.

  
“Yeah, I thought you wouldn’t want to keep a sweater around that looks like it had been run through with a lightsaber. Between you and Finn, I’m getting pretty good at patching up clothes. “ Poe told her, drinking from a glass of what looked like whiskey.

  
“Thanks. I appreciate it. It’s a bit big on me, but the hole made it nearly unwearable.” Rey responded with a grin, taking a seat at the table with him.  
“Should I ask who’s shirt it is?” Poe teased.

  
She shook her head. “No, that’s probably not the galaxy’s best idea.”

  
He nodded. “Okay, I won’t ask. Is that what’s got you all...”

  
Poe’s sentence trailed off but Rey nodded nonetheless. “It is.”

  
“I can’t pretend that I understand all of it - any of it, really, but I’m here, okay?” He offered. “I’m here, Finn’s here, and so is Rose.”

  
Rey smiled. “I know you’ll think I’m crazy, but I loved him.”

  
Poe’s face crinkled.

  
“Not Kylo Ren,” she corrected quickly. “Just Ben. Without the influence of Palpatine and Snoke, he was very much his mother and father’s son. I think you would have liked him had the circumstances been different. Now that he’s gone I feel like something is missing. Like I’ve got this gaping wound.”

  
Poe took Rey’s hand over the table. “I won’t pretend that I’m sorry Ren is gone, but I am sorry for the loss that you’re feeling, Rey.”

  
She nodded. “It was Leia’s last stand to make sure that he came back to the light. She never gave up on him.”

  
Poe drained his drink and the glass clinked back onto the table. “I’ll never really understand this thing that you guys can do, but there’s no denying that it’s the most powerful thing in the galaxy. And I’m serious, you know. You can come knock on my door in the middle of the night sobbing about this and I’ll answer, okay? It’s the least I can do for you after you’ve done so much for the Resistance, for Leia. For me. Anyway, I’ll see you around, Rey. Go rest. 

  
The corners of Rey’s mouth twitched into a half-hearted smile as Poe took his leave. She felt like she should listen and continue to rest, but she’d already been asleep for so long in the last day. She decided instead on exploring areas of the Falcon that she’d not yet combed over in her time aboard the ship. She knew that Chewie’s quarters were attached to her own, but she had never actually seen the Wookiee’s room. Rey poked her head in and saw a small holoscan on the shelf next to other scans of Wookies - his family, presumably. The scan that caught her eye was of Chewbacca cuddling a small human boy with a shock of dark hair and the biggest grin. Ben.

  
Rey’s eyes clenched tight agains the tears that were sure to come. She breathed and murmured under her breath “be with me,” as she recalled Ben’s final words to her, spoken not from his lips, but through the Force: “I’ll always be with you.”

  
She smiled and wiped back the lone tear that had escaped down her cheek and left the room behind. She may have been a scavenger, but snooping in a friend’s room wasn’t quite the same thing. Rey turned and examined a small stack of books that adorned a built-in shelf. Her Jedi texts were stacked neatly below the shelf, waiting to be added to the collection. She reached for a book with a brightly colored spine. It was an adventure and featured a brave boy with special abilities. Flipping it open she saw the scrawl of a child on the inside cover - From the Library of Ben Solo. Maybe he was with her after all. Rey took the book, flopped back onto her bed, and began to read.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life. Has. Been. Crazy. I expected so much more time to write now that grad school is over and I'm working from home, but I forgot about the fact that my kids would have to be homeschooled for a good while there. I finally have my days back to myself <3 Here's a chapter. It's not super long but I kind of like it. I hope you do, too.

Chapter 6

Finn found Poe smelling slightly of alcohol on the outskirts of base. He was finding it easier to let the Force in to guide him and he had followed it’s pull to this spot. Poe looked up and smirked at him.   
“So, should we talk?” Finn asked. “Or do you just kiss me again and skip the talking part?”  
Poe buried his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry, Finn. I know that was kind of out of nowhere. I should have said something first, but I just didn’t know what to say.”   
Finn shrugged. “I’m not mad. I was surprised, but not mad.”  
They were standing close together and both took a seat on a rock that overlooked the forest around them. Poe took a small flask out of his jacket pocket and handed it over to Finn. He took a small swig from it and passed it back.   
“Does this change anything?” Poe asked. “I can understand if you want some space.”  
Finn shook his head and reached over to grab Poe’s scruffy chin. He pulled his face close to his and their lips locked. They both tasted of the liquor now, but neither was truly inebriated. Poe drew back and his eyes met Finn’s.   
“Is this what you want? Cause I’m fine with it if you are but you are so important to me. I don’t want to mess anything up,” Poe asked him.   
“Yeah,” Finn replied, planting another kiss. “It is. Kind of surprised it took you this long. I thought you were going to kiss me back on D’Qar.”  
Poe smiled. “I thought about it, but I just got you off of a Star Destroyer. I figured it was a little soon to go corrupting you.”  
Finn kissed him again and laughed, realizing that they were kissing more than talking. Their bodies were pressed close together and Poe had drawn Finn in with his uninjured arm so that their chests touched. Their hearts both raced and they wore wide grins. Everything about this felt right.   
“I wouldn’t have minded. Think of how many more minutes like this we could have had if you had planted one on me then?” Finn chuckled.   
Poe’s fingers found the back of Finn’s neck and he cradled the base of his skull, their eyes locked in on one another.   
“Finn, you know that I can’t do what you and Rey can. I can’t feel that, but something is telling me that this is what I need to do. It’s like tugging at my stomach and it just feels.... right.” Poe’s lips parted in a wide grin as he spoke the last word.   
Finn nodded at him. “Yeah, that’s exactly it. Right.”   
“On a more serious note, though,” Poe began. “I know Rey already knows about this, but let’s keep it to a minimum around her. She’s really hurting and I don’t want to be all mushy around her when she’s feeling down.”   
“Agreed. I want to be there for her, but I feel like I keep saying the wrong thing.” Finn replied.   
Poe ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. “Just, don’t talk about Exegol or Kylo Ren, okay? I think it’s a really sore subject for her right now.”  
“Okay, no Kylo Ren talk. Got it,” Finn confirmed. “Now, Rey’s not here right now so we can still be mushy, right?”   
Poe laughed and pulled Finn’s face back to his own, both of them grinning as their lips met.   
.  
.  
Kaydel-Ko Connix had a lot of adjusting to do. She was born after the fall of the Empire and raised in the New Republic as a happy-go-lucky kind of girl. That all changed when the First Order came. She knew as soon as she caught wind of the Resistance that was being formed by the famous Leia Organa that she would go and fight. She never could have dreamed that it might mean actually fighting by Leia’s side!   
She missed her general. Kaydel’s family had been loving and kind, but they hadn’t understood their daughter when she told them that she was going to go off and fight a war that wasn’t directly affecting them on Dulathia. Leia welcomed her into the ranks of the fledgling Resistance with open arms and supported her decision to join from the moment she’d shown up at the door of her apartment on Chandrilla. Connix strived to emulate the woman she so admired, even copying her hairstyles from time to time, hoping that it would mean something to the older woman.   
This was the first stretch of time in recent memory where there wasn’t a masked enemy hot on their tail or some secret mission to help orchestrate. She knew she shouldn’t find her current work to be boring, but Connix was kind of missing the excitement of a battle.   
Despite the lack of action and excitement, her day-to-day was still jam packed with responsibilities. The representatives from Naboo were arriving at any time and she was ready with data to share about their operation and why it would be pertinent to be able to work in a furnished building instead of makeshift base that was mostly comprised of workspaces in various ships parked in a cave. It was hardly a glamorous situation.   
She had never been to Naboo, but Leia had shared stories with her of her mother’s home world. Leia had been granted use of the Naberrie estates in and around the capital, Theed. Connix hoped that now she and the others who had followed Leia into battle would be able to establish offices of the restored Republic in their halls.   
“Hey Kay,” a voice came from behind her. “Quit daydreaming. D’acy just called a meeting. It sounds like the Naboo delegation is here early.”  
Rose Tico was one of the sweetest people that Kaydel had ever met, but she enjoyed seeing the business side of her friend come out when it was needed. Rose had grown from an engineer into a capable leader and strategist in the mere months since they’d met.   
“Let’s go then,” she replied, grabbing her data pad and canteen.   
.  
.  
A sleek chrome plated ship touched down on the rough dirt outside of the makeshift base. It gleamed in the late afternoon light and was beautiful, if entirely out of place in its environment. Connix and Rose were joined by the members of their leadership, save for Dameron and Finn. Rose had tried their comms but neither had answered. She assumed they must be with Rey, but when the Jedi arrived to greet the Naboo ship, Rose realized she must have been mistaken.   
The ramp opened and small group departed. They were dressed immaculately, their clothes meant for city life on their home planet and not the jungle that they’d traveled to. They were lead by a woman who appeared to be around the same age that Leia had been, her hair delicately coiled on top of her head and her long gown skimming the dirt. She did not seem bothered. She smiled as she approached Rey first.   
“You must be the Jedi,” the woman said, taking her hands in her own. “I am Pooja Naberrie. Leia was my cousin. It’s lovely to meet you.”  
“Likewise. I’m Rey,” she replied, hesitating. “Skywalker. Thank you for coming.”  
Pooja smiled and Rey could see traces of Leia in her face. Lando stepped forward to play diplomat and ushered the delegation in to the conference rooms. Rey had yet to see them, herself, so she followed his lead. Rose reached out to take Rey’s wrist as they walked.   
“Have you seen Poe or Finn?” she whispered to her.  
“I haven’t,” she replied. “Something tells me that whatever it is that they’re up to could have waited until after this meeting.”  
Rose smirked. “In their defense, we weren’t expecting them to arrive until tomorrow. It’s weird being so… diplomatic. I’m used to working on machines or fighting, not leading.”  
“I know,” Rey agreed. “But we’ve got to start somewhere, right?”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I forgive you, Ben,” Leia whispered as she pulled her son into a tight embrace. “You can forgive yourself, too, when you’re ready.”
> 
> He shook his head in her shoulder as he cried. “I can’t, Mom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes spoilers for the comic “The Rise of Kylo Ren,” which comes out in TPB on July 28th and is available as single issues online/in stores. If you want to wait to read it, I totally get it. If not, enjoy.

Chapter 7

Whispers filled the cold, still air. Some were familiar and gentle; others were cruel and bitter. There was one voice that stood out from all of the others. It was fragile and warm and repeated the same words as a sort of mantra, like the person that it belonged to was sending a quiet prayer into the Cosmic Force. 

_ Be with me _ . 

Ben Solo startled back to consciousness. Every nerve in his body was aflame and even the involuntary act of breathing ignited the pain, sending it sprawling out through his limbs. His dark eyes had flung open and he surveyed his surroundings only to realize that he had no surroundings.

_ Be with me _ , the voice rang out clearly now. 

Struggling through the pain he rose to his feet, his leg faltering as he tried to extend himself to his full height. Ben quieted his mind and drew energy from the Force to help steady himself. 

_ Be with me, Ben _ , she sobbed.  _ Please. _

“I’m here!” he panted, following the sound of Rey’s voice into the dark. 

Her voice was warm but sad; hopeful and brokenhearted. He couldn’t let her be alone. He had promised her that he would always be with her, that he would come back for her. He limped towards the sound of her voice, but the next time it rang out, he felt that it was coming from another direction. 

“Rey!” He called into the ether. “I’m here. You’re not alone. I’m with you.” 

Ben searched around frantically for any sign of her. Rey’s voice was so clear, so close... but he was alone. His feet fell on an inky black floor that might not have been a floor at all. He shivered against the cold and the dark and tears began to sting his eyes. Ben dropped back to a seated position, allowing himself to rest his injured body. It was then that he questioned whether his body was truly injured or if he was... 

He had drawn a shuddering breath, the air not reaching all the way into his lungs. His eyes had crinkled, pushed up by a smile that hadn’t graced his face in years. She had kissed him. He had tried to kill her, violated her mind, threatened everything that she had fought for... and she had kissed him. There had been a small chuckle; her lips pressed to his had been the last thing that he was expecting. Then there had been darkness. Coldness crept into his soul, her hands on his the only warmth left in a body that was quickly fading.    
  


“Ben,” another voice called softly from the darkness. 

His head whipped around, soft black strands of hair shifting around his face as he moved. He wasn’t hearing things this time - a woman stood before him and he recognized her instantly. 

“Mom,” he gasped. Ben rose once more and dragged his body to hers as quickly as his legs would allow.

He threw his arms around the miniscule figure of Leia Organa and he pulled her close to his enormous chest. He hadn’t been this tall the last time that they had hugged. He was taller now than his father had been. Ben tried to speak but his lips moved silently, an apology, a plea for forgiveness lodged in his throat as if the Force itself were choking him. 

“I know, Ben,” she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I know.”

Leia returned her son’s embrace and the two stood sobbing for what felt like an eternity before she brought him to arm’s length and stroked his long cheek with her small hand. 

“My Ben,” Leia uttered, a smile breaking across her face. “You came back to us.”

Her face was kinder than it should have been after all he had done in the years since they’d parted. Ben wondered then if she knew that it was not him who had pulled the trigger to fire on the  _ Raddus _ over D’Qar. 

“Thank you,” he breathed. “For reaching me. You didn’t give up.”

She smiled. “I failed you, Ben. We all did. Leaving a path for you to follow back to the light was the least that any of us could do. I’m glad you found it.”

Ben nodded and clasped Leia’s hands in his. He looked into her eyes, his own solemn and searching. 

“Mom, how do I get to her?” he asked. “I promised I wouldn’t leave her. I’ve broken too many promises.”

Leia turned away. “I don’t know, Ben. We don’t know what it meant to find you here and not in the Force.”

“We? He said, interrupting his mother.

“Luke and I,” she told him.

Ben nodded solemnly. He understood that there was nowhere in the galaxy far enough for him to run to avoid Luke Skywalker. 

“Ben, I know now what happened that night. I understand,” she began. 

“You don’t know what happened afterwards. I chased the darkness that was calling to me. It was the only place I felt like I belonged. You and Dad pushed me away, Luke tried to kill me. I was so alone.” he confided, his shoulders shaking. “I held on for a little bit. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just didn’t want to be Ben Solo anymore. I didn’t realize that I couldn’t become someone else without hurting everyone. And then Dad,”

His throat closed again and it felt like all of those times that Snoke had punished him for the light that had always been hidden away in his heart; all the times that he had tried to snuff it out from Ben’s soul once and for all. He had crumpled to the floor at his master’s feet more times than he could count, gasping for air, writhing in pain as lightning coursed through his veins. He wondered if anyone in the galaxy would ever believe that the monster that was Kylo Ren had been forged by the constant torment and pain that he had suffered. 

“I forgive you, Ben,” Leia whispered as she pulled her son into a tight embrace. “You can forgive yourself, too, when you’re ready.”

He shook his head in her shoulder as he cried. “I can’t, Mom.” 

“We both know that he wouldn’t have had it happen any other way.” she told him, cupping his face in her hands. “Your father and I knew what it would take to reach you and we were willing to do whatever it took.” 

Ben nodded again, tears streaming down his face. 

“Rey forgave you,” Leia said softly. “Didn’t she?”

He smiled and it was his father’s crooked grin that spread across his face. “I don’t know why or how, but yeah.”

“Ben, do you know what this place is?” Leia asked. 

He gazed around, his eyes still adjusting to the pitch black of the air around him. “It’s nowhere. It’s everywhere.” He took a deep breath, eyes wide in search of light. He saw it in slight traces of white, almost like stars dotting the ether. “This is the World Between Worlds, isn’t it?” 

She nodded. “Luke and I have both passed on to become a part of the Cosmic Force, but it seems that you are hovering between it and the Living. I don’t know what that means for you now, but you found your way back to the light, Ben, with only breadcrumbs to follow. Rey is out there waiting for you. I think that one way or another, be it in this world or hers, you’ll be able to find your way to her. 

“Luke. Can he help me?” Ben asked suddenly. “I know he has no reason to, but if he knows more about this, if he can teach me... I’ll do whatever I have to do to find her, Mom. She’s been alone for so long.”

Leia smiled sadly. “I’d like to think that after she found us she wasn’t quite so alone.” 

He clasped her hands in his. “She wasn’t. I think if she still had been she would have joined me;  _ you _ were what kept her in the light.”   
  


At that moment Ben’s attention was drawn away from his mother to a voice that he hadn’t heard in many years. It was Tai. His sparring partner, his first friend. His confidante. The first innocent life that he had taken. 

Ben dropped his mother’s hands and walked towards the sound of Tai’s voice. Light traced it’s way around him, illuminating this path as if it were guiding him. A circle of light appeared before him and beyond it Ben saw himself, no more than 13 years old. He and Tai were sparring with wooden swords. Luke told them that before they could build their own lightsabers they must master the fighting forms with non-lethal weapons. 

He watched as the two boys from his past ducked, parried, and countered each other’s blows while Luke Skywalker looked on proudly. Tai’s voice egged him on and their fighting intensified. The boys had been learning each other’s weaknesses to better disarm their opponents in battle. Ben’s was being taunted while he fought and feeling inferior; Tai’s weakness was not being able to counter a fully enraged Ben. 

Young Ben snarled and threw his full weight into a lunge and Tai was unable to parry. The teen flew backwards and landed in a pile of cushions, his wooden saber clattering to the ground. Ben jogged over to his friend to ensure that he was okay and helped him back to his feet. 

“I’ll get you next time, Solo,” Tai chuckled, clapping his friend on the back. 

The image drifted into another. Ben was older. He wore all black and his lightsaber was clipped into a holster over his shoulder. It did not yet bear the cross guard design and his blue Kyber crystal was still intact within the hilt. He watched as he tore into someone’s mind for the first time, digging until he found what he was looking for. His anger flared when the being was killed seconds later by one of the Knights of Ren - it was his first glimpse at how cruel he himself would become. 

Tai appeared, flanked by two other young Jedi. The men engaged in a duel, their blue sabers clashing violently, neither one hoping to win the battle. 

Tai blocked a vicious blow from Ben’s saber. “You don’t have to do this, Ben. You don’t have to turn your back on the light.”

Ben furrowed his brow as he prepared his next strike. “I am not what you think I am, Tai. It’s too late now. This is my path.”

“No, that’s wrong. You can just stop, turn around, walk the other way. Every path goes in two directions,” Tai shouted.

“However deep you think you are, I promise you, there’s deeper yet. It can get worse. You’re acting like you don’t have control, when every single step you take is your own choice.”

Tai held his own, never striking at Ben. He blocked and parried, all the while moving backwards through a crystalline cavern. Ben advanced on his friend, their blades reflecting off of the surfaces around them. Like he had been for most of his life, Ben was angry and afraid. He channeled that into his fighting style. 

“Choice? I have  _ no _ choice and  _ never _ did. Even my  _ name _ isn’t a choice. The dark side and the light both claimed me for their own the moment I was  _ born _ . Do you know how that  _ feels _ ?” Ben screamed, their faces level. 

Tai breathed deeply as Ben pressed his saber against his, pushing his feet back further still. Ben had allies now. Snoke and Ren were on his side. They understood him and they would guide him into the dark. He was so tired of trying to be good only to have his efforts thwarted at nearly every turn. Perhaps that was his family’s legacy. 

Tai did not relent. “There’s hope. There is always hope. You can start from wherever you are. No path is forever. You could spend the rest of your life helping people, trying to bring more light to the galaxy, and it would all matter. Those people would still be helped. We could team up, right now, and destroy the Knights of Ren and save this place. We could...” 

Ben’s saber clipped the hilt of Tai’s and sent it tumbling from his hand. 

“Kill me if you have to, Ben. Or... don’t.” His friend told him, their eyes locked on one another. 

His breathing became labored as Ben watched on in horror. Before he could stop what was happening, Tai’s neck snapped and his best friend crumpled to the ground with a resounding thud. 

Ben turned to see Ren behind him. “You killed Tai.”

“I sure did. Snoke was completely wrong about you. You’re fighting this every step of the way.” He replied. “You don’t want to live in the shadow.” 

“True,” Ben said, nodding as he called Tai’s saber to his open hand. He lunged at Ren with both blades ignited. “I _am_ the shadow!”   
  


“I think this place is trying to tell me something,” Ben told Leia. 

She didn’t respond. He whirled around to find that she was gone. Ben Solo was once again alone in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: The dialogue between Tai and Ben (the fight) is pulled directly from TRoKR. Charles Soule wrote it. I just adapted it to fit into this format. 
> 
> A/N: Hi. Thanks for reading this. I wrote a little Drabble called Saturday Nights at Starkiller Base if you want to read something on the funnier side. I was struggling with where to go for this chapter. it was originally going to be more Poe/Finn fluff. That will still happen, but I didn’t want this entire thing to be fluff. I’m a serious writer, y’all. 
> 
> Also I promised a dear friend that Ben would show up soon and it was her bday yesterday, so I guess this is pretty well timed <3 
> 
> More Naboo deets to come in Ch. 8 <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allies arrive on Ajan Kloss and Rey studies the ancient Jedi texts.

Chapter 8

BB-8 rolled down the corridor as fast as his metal body allowed, which was to say that he sent people scattering in his wake. He arrived at Poe’s quarters and instead of the door opening with a wsssh at his arrival, he rolled straight into it with a metallic clang.

The droid tilted his domed head to the side quizzically. Poe had never before locked him out. He plugged into the computer terminal nearby and tried the override, but found that it had been disabled. Perhaps, the droid wondered, Poe thought that he was already in the room and didn’t realize that he wasn’t charging in the corner like he normally did during the night cycle.

He had been sent with an important message for Poe and instructions to return with him in tow to meet the new arrivals from Naboo. It was a very important job for BB-8 and it had been Rey who had sent him - he would not return empty-handed over a locked door.

The droid backed up across the hall and gained speed as he barreled towards the locked door.

Clunk.

His dome went crooked but he shook it off and tried again. He knew that Poe must have turned in early for the evening, but doubted that a loud banging at the door wouldn’t wake the human.

Bash.

Finally, after several collisions with the metal panel, the door opened with a hiss, and Poe emerged, shirtless and with his hair a mess.

“What is it, buddy? I was trying to get some sleep?” Poe asked, ducking down to his level.

BB-8 let loose a series of beeps and warbles and Poe’s eyes widened.

“They’re here already? Hey Finn,” he called back. “We gotta go!”

Poe ran back into the room, shutting the door and leaving BB-8 in the hall once more. He emerged a moment later, fully clothed this time, and accompanied by Finn.

.

BB-8, Poe, and Finn flew into the conference room where the rest of their leadership had already convened with their guests. Their late arrival drew some glares, but Finn had a feeling that it was due to the fact that they ran across the base to be there in a short amount of time.

“Glad you could make it, gentlemen,” Lando greeted them. “Generals Dameron and Finn; this is Pooja Naberrie of the Naboo.”

Pooja stood and crossed the room to take Poe’s hands. “Thank you for calling on us, General Dameron. The Naberrie family and the Naboo are glad to be able to help the reformation of the New Republic in any way that we can.”

Poe smiled at her and noticed that there was something in her that reminded him of Leia. “Thank you for answering the call. General Organa left some instructions for me and one of them was to reach out in case your people could be of any assistance. We were well aware that your planet does not have a military force, but with the fighting behind us, there are still other needs that will arise.”

He gestured her to her seat and took his own in between Rey and Finn.

“Pooja has granted us access to repair facilities on Naboo, courtesy of the Queen. We will also be given quarters in the family’s lakeside retreat outside of Theed,” Rey told them with a smirk as they joined the table, adding, “and she understands that she and her party have arrived early and excuses your lateness.”

“That is very generous,” Poe told her. “Thank you.”

“My aunt challenged the Senate and fought to preserve the Republic. My cousin fought the Empire and won - twice. Providing space to see that their efforts will not have been in vain is the least that I can do for you.” Pooja’s eyes were kind as she spoke. “I only wish there could be more that we could have done when other help was needed.”

“Nonsense, your highness,” Lando chimed in. “Your people have shown support for the Rebellion and the Republic as long as there’s been a fight. Not everyone can take up a blaster when the time comes, but knowing that there are people out there who will benefit from the outcome is why we do it.”

“Please, Lando,” she laughed. “You can just call me Pooja. I hold no office, nor do I warrant any honorifics.”

The room chuckled along with her. Poe and Finn had joined Rey, Rose, Lando, Connix, and Admiral D’acy when they arrived. 

“I understand that it is quite late for you all and that you have endured a long enough day as it is. Shall we reconvene in the morning to talk specifics and logistics for your move?” Pooja asked the room. “I myself could use some rest now that we’re landed.”

Poe nodded his understanding. “Of course. Let’s meet again at 0800 to discuss this. Have you had a tour of the base yet, Pooja?”

“I did have a brief one on our way in from the landing platform. I know where to find food and where my quarters are, so the basics are covered, I believe.” She replied.

They may not have known about their familial connection until later on in life, but there was plenty about Pooja Naberrie that reminded Poe of Leia. Her smile was nearly the same and the shade of her greying hair matched the General’s. He wondered if Rey had noticed that she wore her hair in a series of buns similar to her own.

“Sorry, we woke you,” Rey told Poe with an almost imperceptible wink as they departed together, BB-8 rolling along behind them.

A flush rose to his tan cheeks as Poe grinned. “Caught?”

“Caught,” she replied, smirking. “Doubtful anyone minds, though, so long as you stay in such a good mood.”

“And you?” Poe asked, his tone more concerned. “Feeling any better?”

Rey bobbed her head quickly. “I’m all right.”

“Rey, don’t do that,” he warned her. “Don’t pretend things are fine. I’m here to help you. We all are.”

“I’m all right,” she repeated, a small smile highlighting her dimples. “I am. Really. I’m going to get some sleep.”

With that, they parted, Poe off to rejoin the others, and Rey on her way back to the _Falcon_.

.

The lights inside the _Falcon_ were dimmed when Rey arrived and she could hear Chewbacca snoring loudly from his quarters. She slipped out of her tunic and back into Ben’s sweater. It still smelled of him.

The sleeves came down far below her hands, so she rolled up the cuffs. She moved quietly to avoid waking the Wookiee and used the Force to pull one of the Jedi texts into her outstretched hand. Rey wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and took a seat on the curved bench, opening the book on the dejarik board.

This was a book that she had studied before, but she had not yet figured out all of its secrets. It had taken Rey a while to get used to the languages used and some of the diagrams drawn on its pages only made sense after meditating on them. The texts were anything but light reading.

Rey ran her fingers along the edges of the pages, feeling the texture of the ancient paper on their tips. For so many years they had known only the feeling of metal, coarse fabric, sand, and the portions that she had eaten with her hands, for lack of proper utensils. Paper was rare and delicate and she savored the bumpy edges and smooth pages as she began to flip through the book.

She breathed in deeply, inhaling its rich scent, and turned another page. Rey was greeted with a series of drawn diagrams and a slip of paper with rough translations. She imagined that Luke must have been the one to insert these tools, but couldn’t be sure, as she had never seen his writing before. The text referenced a World between Worlds, but what caught her eye the most was the diagram. There was something familiar about it, but Rey couldn’t quite place where she’d seen it before. She closed her eyes and searched her memory, knowing that there was an answer somewhere in the depths of her mind.

At first, there was darkness. The dark space behind her eyelids did nothing but frustrate her as she begged her brain for an answer. She felt nearly ready to give up, feeling her frustration morphing into anger. Suddenly, red flashes surrounded her as she searched and she was back in the cockpit of Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing, plotting in the course from Ben’s Wayfinder. Controls beeped and flashed around her as she made her way to the unknown regions.

Her eyes sprung open. The diagram was the way to Exegol, recorded in a place other than the two Sith Wayfinders.

.

Morning came early - perhaps too early for Rey. She had fallen asleep with the book in the main hold of the Falcon. She could hear Chewie moving about and smelled fresh caf coming from the ship’s small galley. She vaguely registered the giant furry arm of her friend reaching in front of her to place a mug of the steaming black liquid on the table before her with a grumble.

“Bright suns,” she replied, taking a swig and burning her mouth.

Chewbacca ruffled her hair and chuckled.

“Yeah, I knew it was hot.” She said taking another long sip, this time from the water in her canteen.

She set the caf aside in favor of a quick trip to the ‘fresher. She stepped into the shower and let the water run over her skin. Showers had been a luxury that Rey was not afforded on Jakku. She had been lucky to take an occasional turn through a sonic shower, but the vibrations always rattled deep into her bones and left her feeling clean but slightly unnerved by the experience.

As she dressed, something in the pit of Rey’s stomach urged her towards the cockpit. She was sure that if Chewie knew that she was leaving to find any traces of Ben Solo, that he’d go with her in a heartbeat. Or would he? Would he let her risk both of their lives, Han’s ship, for someone they both knew was gone? Perhaps he’d indulge her search long enough to prove her wrong.

_We could leave now,_ a voice beckoned her. _Your friends don’t need you anymore._

She shook her head at the imaginary voice. She couldn’t leave them that way. Rey wrapped a length of fabric around her and buckled her belt over it. She holstered her blaster and clipped the new lightsaber in place on her hip. There was still work to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say that for some stupid reason this was the chapter that stumped me the most of almost anything I’ve ever written? I have like 4 ch 8 files and this is finally the one that made the most sense. <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Pooja converse; The Resistance prepares to relocate; Jannah makes a discovery.

Chapter 9

A light rain fell over the jungle as Rey emerged from the _Millennium Falcon_. She pulled her hood over her head to cover her hair, leaving her face just uncovered enough to feel the rain on her skin. If she had known about days like this while she had lived on Jakku, she would have spent every last day longing for one. Pooja Naberrie seemed to be waiting for her near the entrance of the base, an ornate cloak pulled over her graying hair.

The older woman took Rey’s hands warmly. “I had hoped that we might have time to talk.”

Rey nodded and the women linked arms and set off on a walk.

“You’re going to love Naboo,” Pooja told her, a kind smile on her face. “I’m curious, though; what does our Master Jedi have planned after this? You’ll help the New Republic get back in order and then?”

Rey hesitated. “I haven’t thought that much about it. I suppose I’ll teach those that I can, though I’m still learning, myself. I don’t know that I’d call myself ‘Master Jedi’ just yet. I don’t know that the title truly exists anymore, either.”

“If anyone in the galaxy is deserving of the title, it is you, my dear,” Pooja replied earnestly. “There have been so many rumors about you and your abilities. It’s a relief to know now that you are not the myth you seemed to be. Myths can give us hope, but people can bring change.”

“Having hope is what led to everything that’s happened so far; it can’t be underestimated,” Rey replied.

Pooja nodded knowingly. They were a ways away from the base, meandering along sodden paths that Rey had traced many times with Leia while she trained.

“I’m leaving behind a lot of fond memories of Leia here when we depart,” Rey said wistfully. “I trained briefly with Luke, but it was here that Leia completed my training."

“I can’t imagine a better place to learn the ways of the Force than out here connected with so much life. Were you and my cousin very close? I never got to spend much time with her,” Pooja asked.

Rey smiled. “She was like a mother to me. I only briefly knew my own and Leia set aside any reservations there might have been about where I come from to take me on as her apprentice. I’m grateful for what she taught me and the bond that we had. She always knew what I was thinking before I said it. I’d like to say it was from the Force, but I’m sure now that it was just her intuition.”

“Perhaps Naboo will offer a place to create new memories for you,” Pooja suggested.

“Anything is possible,” Rey replied, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

Pooja’s eyes became slightly sad as she reached over and touched a loose lock of Rey’s brown hair. “I’ve been wondering why it was that you chose this style.”

No one had ever asked Rey that before and she froze for a second before answering.

“My hair has always been this way. I think my mother must have been the one who did it at first. When I was left on Jakku I was taken in by some older women among the scavenger community. One of them taught me how to copy the style as I grew a little older. That, and the promise that they’d come back for me, were the only things that I had to remember my parents by.” She answered, speaking slowly while her voice quivered slightly.

The older woman smiled. “It’s beautiful. I ask because, while I’m not sure where you are from, nor your family, your hairstyle is undoubtedly from Naboo.”

Rey nodded, a pained expression on her face. “My grandfather was from Naboo. It only makes sense that my parents came from there, too.”

“I’m sorry that I’ve upset you, my dear.”

Rey turned to Pooja. “It’s all right. Much of my history was unknown until recently and what I do know now is less than pleasant. I thought I’d be glad to have some form of connection, but I’d rather be myself. I cast aside my family name to carry on that of the Skywalker family, instead. Their legacy deserves to live on.”

“That it does,” Pooja replied. “You’re remarkably strong. Thank you for all that you’ve done for this galaxy, Rey, truly. Its people will forever be in your debt.”

Rey knew that she could use this to her advantage in setting off on her own course someday, but she did not feel like anyone should be indebted to her. She would trade every one of those debts from the Core worlds to Wild Space to have Ben Solo back with her. Perhaps she wasn’t as strong as she was being given credit for.

She smiled kindly at the older woman. “The galaxy deserved to be free. I gave them no more than what they already deserved.”

...

Rey and Pooja rejoined their parties a short while later, their outerwear dripping as they stepped into the conference room. They removed their jackets and handed them to a protocol droid to have them tucked away. Poe and the others and gathered around a table in the center of the room that projected a bright green light above its surface. The holotable showed a map of the galaxy with a route plotted out from Ajan Kloss to Naboo.

She listened as Connix told them that allies had declared the journey through those hyperspace lanes to be safe and free of any First Order interference. She wondered then how many of their forces were out there in the galaxy still unknowing of their leader’s fall and the organization’s end. Rey had met just a few stragglers on Tatooine but was sure that there must be others. She doubted that all of them would be as willing to surrender and align themselves with the Republic as the ones she had met in the market had been.

“Theed is our capital city,” Pooja told those gathered. “Just on the outskirts is a lakeside villa that has been in my family for generations. It is a large estate with an expansive docking bay that was installed when my aunt served in the Senate.”

The star charts on the holotable were quickly replaced by blueprints of the complex. Poe ran his fingers through his wavy curls and took stock of the estate.

“How many do you figure it can accommodate?” He asked.

“From what I’ve seen so far of your numbers, I believe we would have enough room for anyone who cared to make the trip,” Pooja replied.

He nodded. “This will work. We won’t all be going, not at first. Let’s lay some groundwork and then bring the rest of the crew over in a cycle or two. By then, I’m sure we might have moved some of our people to other locations if we manage to find something more permanent.”

Lando broke his uncharacteristic silence. “We need a team to start prepping everything for the move. Inventory, crew logs, travel plans - all of it.”

“I’ll handle maintenance and ship movements,” Rose volunteered.

“Thank you, Rose,” Poe nodded in her direction. “Zorii, can you handle packing and inventory? BB-8 and Threepio can help you with tracking everything.”

Zorii Bliss nodded her approval and gave Poe the smallest of salutes.

“Jannah, Finn, you two are going to be in charge of compiling the First Order records we have so far.” Poe pointed to them. “Rey,”

He paused, settling on her face. What was there that they needed a Jedi for in a simple relocation mission?

“I’ll help Rose ready the fleet,” she offered with a smile.

Poe signaled his approval. “Yeah, that’d be great. Make sure any repairs that have been pushed off get done. We want everything in top shape before we travel halfway across the galaxy. General Calrissian, I’m putting you in charge. Everyone is going to report back daily with their progress. Connix will assist you and be your muscle if anyone starts to lose momentum.”

He said the last words with a wink. He assigned Lt. Connix to Lando knowing that Lando might be the one to not follow through with missions; he also knew that as a businessman and a smuggler, Lando could keep track of movements like no one else, so long as he was not distracted.

“I think that will be all for the time being. Lady Naberrie, I will disperse the star charts that you’ve provided to our pilots and we’ll see you in Theed.” Poe announced to their guest and those gathered, permitting them to leave.

...

_They don't need you,_ a voice broke through the thoughts in Rey’s mind as she walked alone towards the maintenance bay.

 _This work is beneath you,_ it continued. _You are a_ Jedi _\- you can be doing infinitely more than tightening bolts and preparing crews._

Rey squeezed her eyes shut until she saw stars forming behind her eyelids. She shook her head. No, she told herself. I’m no more important than anyone else in the Resistance. We all have our roles to play. I’m not leaving them.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Rose reached out and touched her forearm. The other woman had a kind smile on her face and, as always, they were both genuinely happy to see each other. Rose was the kind of friend that Rey had wished for during her childhood.

“I’m glad I’ve got you on my crew,” Rose told her. “I wasn’t sure if you’d take me up on the offer after your incident.”

“Of course,” Rey replied with a wide smile. “I’ve got to keep busy somehow and Chewie won’t let me fidget with the systems on the _Falcon_ anymore.”

They laughed, both knowing how the Wookiee could be when it came to his beloved vessel.

“Have you ever been to Naboo?” Rose asked.

Rey shook her head. “No, not yet. I’m eager to see another green place, though. I’ve read up on it some and it looks lovely.”

“You grew up in a desert and I grew up in ice and snow. Coming from such extreme environments, it’s nice to explore planets with normal climates.” Rose laughed.

“I’m sorry that I don’t know more about your world. Do you think that Hays Minor will be able to recover from what the First Order did there?” Rey asked, solemnly.

Rose shrugged. “I want to say yes, but I don’t know. If it can, it will take a long time. Our mines were mainly stripped by the FO, so most of our income would be lost if we were to reinhabit the planet.” Her voice became angry then, “the whole Otomok system suffered so much under their occupation. I don’t think I could ever forgive anyone who willingly chose that side. It’s one thing to have been taken and forged into a Stormtrooper, but the officers? They had choices.”

Rey pulled her quickly into a hug. “I’m so sorry that you faced that.”

Rose hugged her back. “Me, too.”

...

Jannah’s fingers hammered away at the holotable’s keypad. She had a small holo open projecting a list of planets; planets that they had discovered had been targeted by the First Order in their early years, planets that had been pilfered for resources and children who could be turned into soldiers.

She had been one of those children, as had Finn and the newest arrivals to Ajan Kloss. The Stormtroopers that Rey had brought back with her from Tatooine were still in possession of valid First Order security codes. While nearly all of their bases and ships had fallen, there was still a possibility that their information network could be tapped into using those codes.

Their gamble had paid off, resulting in the list that she had before her now. The work now was in cross-referencing First Order personnel files with the traits found among the human species on each of those planets. The galaxy could be quite a diverse place, but there were still various traits that were more common in some places than in others.

Kata poured over the list with her. They were looking specifically for Jannah’s traits at the moment, combined with a sample of her genetic makeup. So far, they had been empty-handed.

“Kriff! I don’t understand this,” she exclaimed, swiping some of her loose curls out of her face. “With this sample, I should at least be able to narrow down what system I’m from.”

“Perhaps it’s inconclusive because your family had relocated? It's possible that you don’t have a match with any on this list because you didn’t originate from any of these systems.” Kata reasoned.

“I suppose,” Jannah replied. “What next? Broaden the search? Try other systems?”

“I’ll run it again with different filters. Let’s see what we get.” She agreed.

Finn arrived then, having stayed behind to discuss specifics with Poe and Lando.

“Did I miss anything good?” He asked as the automatic door whisked shut behind him.

“Nah, just me getting a headache,” Jannah told him, her expression one of exasperation.

“We’ll figure it out. We haven’t been working on it that long,” Finn reassured his comrade. “I’m going to start packing up the stuff that we’re not using. Poe wants us leaving by the morning after next, so we’re pretty short on time.”

“Jannah,” Kata’s voice was small from the other side of the holotable. “I think I found something.”

The two former Stormtroopers joined her to see the data that she had discovered. A shortlist of systems appeared before them; none coinciding with where the First Order had been known for decimating populations.

“Socorro,” Jannah said as she scanned the list. “The Gold system.”

“You know the place?” Finn asked.

Jannah shook her head. “No, but I know someone who does.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I think my writer’s block might be gone <3 GalacticAncestry.com ftw, right? Also, databases are the shit. 
> 
> More Solo stuff coming soon because I had way too much fun writing Ch. 7 and want to just write all of that now. Also coming soon? Theed! Dresses! Gungans? (We’ll see about that last one)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, so much for not taking too long. I re-wrote this like 4 times, and then when I was *this* close to ready to post it, my iPad crapped out on me and I hadn’t saved the file in Dropbox. I was so glad to see the draft still there in Scrivener when I re-downloaded it <3 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Ben sat in quiet meditation. He couldn’t be sure how much time had passed or if any had at all. He kept his dark eyes closed and his breathing slow and even while he reached out to the Force, hoping he might feel something.

His entire body ached with yearning as he sought out Rey in the depths of his mind. Since their first meeting, she had been there at the edge of his peripheral vision. When they were adversaries, he could almost feel her breathing down his neck as she trained to end him; He knew that she, too, had felt him. She had learned quickly how to seal off her end of their connection to keep the monster she feared was hunting her at bay. 

When they were connected it was almost as if there was a tether between their minds. He hadn’t felt that since Palpatine had sent him careening into a rocky abyss on Exegol. He knew she had still been alive when he fell and knew that she lived once more, but no matter how he searched for the rope that would lead back to her, all he could find were the frayed ends of his own.

It was still dark. Still quiet. Ben opened his eyes.

A trail stretched out before him. Ancient markings and shimmering ribbons appeared, tracing paths into nothingness. He had asked the Force for answers; perhaps this was its guidance.

He stood, his body still feeling heavy and sore and his leg dragged a bit as he walked. Whispers coaxed him onward, but they all spoke simultaneously and he could not distinguish one voice from the next at times.

Ben’s breathing became labored the further on he walked and his side pained him. He placed a hand on his bare skin and felt lumps beneath it as if they were pushing out from the inside. Those are ribs, he told himself, wincing as his fingertips grazed the bruised flesh.

“ _Show me_ ,” he heard a whisper that took his mind off of the pain.

 _“Show me,_ ” a different voice; his own voice.“ _Grandfather_.”

“ _Show me my parents_ ,” Rey whispered.

Ben broke into a hobbling run in the direction of her voice. He arrived a moment later before another of the gleaming windows and there, just out of reach, stood Rey.

“Rey,” he spoke her name as though if he said it too loudly she might flee.

His voice was soft and inflicted with as much warmth as he could muster. His eyes were brimming with tears as he stared at her. She was alive and whole, but her eyes told the story of a woman who was alone and afraid.

Rey stood on the other side of the hazy portal, her clothes and hair drenched and eyes wide with fear. She stepped closer and then looked back. She snapped her fingers and then looked to the front. She was breathing heavily and Ben could tell that she was terrified, but of what he was unsure.

Could she see him? His limping, bloodied form might be peering out to her from the darkness around him, he considered. He felt a sense of Deja Vu as he watched her come closer still and it struck him then that he was seeing Rey in the past. She was on Ahch-to in the cave where the darkness had lured her to.

The scared young woman on the other side was nearly pressed to the portal now. Ben stepped forward to meet her, hoping to feel the warmth of her as they neared. Instead,he felt something impeding him from taking that next step forward. He gazed down into her hazel eyes and wanted to scream and punch through whatever force field was keeping him from reaching out and sweeping her up into his arms, kissing her, and telling her that she’d never be alone again.

She had reached out to him after this, he remembered. Why had she come to him? Rey placed her hand against the surface and Ben mirrored the gesture, his large hand eclipsing hers. Tears streamed down her face.

“You’re not alone,” he whispered to her, unsure if she’d hear the words. “I’m with you. I’ll always be with you.”

Ben’s eyes clenched shut as tears streamed down his cheeks, his hand still pressed to Rey’s. He opened them and looked back to her face, but when he did he found that she was no longer there. Instead, he peered out on a snowy wood.

“ _That lightsaber_ ,” he heard a ghost of himself scream and he winced. “ _Belongs to me._ ”

“ _Come and get it_ ,” replied the stormtrooper who had broken his programming and rebelled.

The red and blue of their lightsabers clashed against the falling snow and he watched as trees were decimated by their uncontrolled blades. Rey lay on the snow, her skin flushed from the cold; her body limp at the foot of the tree that his former self had flung her into.

Ben screamed, furious at this vision of himself. He had been so lost in the grief and anger that he himself had caused and it had made him lash out at her. He stared at her motionless form, waiting to see her stir. He knew that she would, but as the moments pressed on, he became anxious at her lack of movement. Some reckless abandon stirred within him and suddenly, with all of his might, Ben flung himself into a run and found himself bounding through the barrier and into the snow. He collapsed beside Rey and placed a hand on her snow-covered cheek.

“Rey, sweetheart, wake up,” Ben begged. He tapped gently at her cheek, hoping to stir her back to consciousness. “Please. I’m so sorry. Wake up.”

She stirred slightly.

“You’ve gotta get up and fight,” he told her.

Something inside of Ben knew that he couldn’t stay there to help her. He wasn’t sure if Rey or the others could see him or what kind of consequences there might be if they could. He helped Rey sit up as she blinked back to life. His hand rested on her upper back and he felt a surge like lightning beneath his fingertips.

“Who,” she began as she turned around, her eyes meeting his. “You?”

He panicked. Ben looked over his shoulder at the portal and then back to Rey. He could see the confusion on her face as he realised that she could indeed see him. Ben crouched down once more beside her and leaned in.

“Stay here,” he said softly. “I’ll come back to you, Sweetheart. I promise.”

He planted the lightest of kisses along the wisps of hair at her temple that had come loose from her buns and then shoved himself back up to his feet, running as fast as his broken body would allow back through the portal.

Ben collapsed into darkness on the other side once more.Turning back, he watched Rey bring herself up to her full height and stretch out her hand, reaching for Luke’s lightsaber.

He closed his eyes, her image burned into his memory and the smell of her hair still fresh. He quieted his mind and drew on the Force, feeling it flowing through him. When he searched for Rey again, he smiled as he felt their bond spark into existence once more.

....

Rey awoke with a start. She had been dreaming of Starkiller Base and the fight in the forest. Something had been different, though.

Ben, she thought. Ben was there.

That was silly, though, she realized - Ben had always been there. She placed a hand to her temple and suddenly and vividly recalled Ben’s lips grazing the skin there as he whispered to her. Tears fell down her cheeks and Rey tried to control her breathing.

It was just a dream, she reminded herself. Just a dream.

Rey sat up and realized that she was asleep in her quarters aboard the Millennium Falcon. Chewbacca and Poe were manning the cockpit while she and the others on board had gotten some rest. The jump to Naboo wasn’t terribly long, but the process to pack up the base and move on had taken a lot out of them all physically. Rey had lost herself in manual labor and busy work to forget how much she dreaded leaving the place where she had trained under Leia. This was a time to rebuild, not to be sentimental, she kept reminding herself.

She stretched and climbed out of bed. Finn still slept soundly at the other end of the bed; his feet resting to the side of where Rey’s head had been. Rose was curled up on a small cot, as was Kaydel. They were both still sound asleep. Rey contemplated sneaking into the galley for a bite to eat, but she tucked into a ration bar from her pack instead. The main hold was just as crowded and she’d hate to wake anyone.

A small creature fluttered towards her and Rey smiled as it landed at her side.

“Are you hungry, too?” She asked the Porg. “Of course you are; you lot are always eating, aren’t you?”

Rey broke off a portion of her food and offered it to the tiny bird, it’s big eyes gleaming at her in gratitude. She smiled and patted it on its feathered head. They were strange creatures, but she supposed that they were growing on her.

“Right then, off you go.” Rey told the Porg. “You’d better not go waking up the others for more snacks.”

She settled back under the blanket that she’d brought with her from Ahch-to. It and the Porgs, however unintentional their rehoming to the Falcon had been, were her sole souvenirs from the island that held the first Jedi temple. She’d go back one day. It seemed as good of a place as any for a Jedi to train and she had a candidate in mind to start with.

Unable to fall back asleep, Rey drew upon the Force to find her balance. She fell into a pattern of deep breathing, her eyes closed and palms open and facing upwards as if waiting for something to land in them.

 _Be with me,_ Rey repeated her silent plea as she breathed in the recycled air of the old freighter. She had tuned out the soft snoring of Finn beside her and the rustling of the Porgs in their nests. There was nothing now but her and the Force. It surrounded her, tendrils of its energy lifting her up off of the bed where she had been sitting cross-legged.

“ _I’ll come back to you sweetheart, I promise_.”

Rey’s eyes snapped open and she collapsed back to the bed with a soft thud, her breath hitched somewhere in her throat. She touched her face and found it wet with tears and her heart burned with something she had not felt in far too long.

“Ben,” she gasped, reaching out again to feel for him in the Force.

Tears streamed from her eyes as she found the tether that had bound them together and realized that there was once again a spark of life emanating from it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need more canonical WBW material. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t at least slightly influenced by the Lego Holiday Special. <3


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay <3 
> 
> My iPad has finally been replaced and I had to re-start this chapter. It took a lot to get back into it after losing work :(

The alarm that warned of their impending departure from hyperspace sounded a short while later and Rey sprang from the bed already dressed. She gathered her belt and lightsaber before slipping into her boots and making her way into the main hold.

All around Rey bodies started to stir, waking up for their arrival on Naboo. She tiptoed through the cots and makeshift bunks to the cockpit, where she found Poe and Chewie at the helm. She took the seat behind Poe’s, although he gladly offered her the controls. She waved him off.

“You’ve got this,” Rey told him. “Just as long as you don’t plan to try anymore lightspeed skipping with her.”

Poe rolled his eyes violently. “You’re still on about that? You ever gonna let that go?”

“Never,” she assured him.

Naboo came into view through the viewport and the colors took her breath away. Greens and blues covered the orb suspended in inky blackness before them and soft swirls of clouds spread out across the atmosphere.

“Have you ever been here?” She asked Poe as he steered them closer to the planet.

“No, but my mother told me about it when I was younger. She defended it during Operation Cinder.” He replied. “She said it was one of the most beautiful planets she’d ever seen.”

A voice filled the air from the ship’s comms. “ _Millennium Falcon_ , this is Naboo air control. You have been cleared to land. Sending coordinates now.”

“Roger, Naboo tower, the _Falcon_ has received coordinates and is coming in for a landing,” Poe replied, his hands flying over the ship’s controls as he made the necessary adjustments for entering the planet’s atmosphere.

Rey peeked out to the hold to where the remainder of the crew was gearing up to disembark.

“Landing in five,” she told them.

The _Falcon_ glided into a docking bay on Theed with expert precision; a far cry from some of the crash landings that Poe had brought her in for during the last several months. Rey looked out through the viewport at a bustling city full of picturesque architecture and found herself eager to disembark and explore.

Rose Tico threaded her arm through Rey’s as they took their first steps down the ramp onto Naboo. They trailed Poe and Finn, but the young women were nearly giddy with excitement at seeing such a beautiful planet.

“Welcome,” a familiar voice greeted them. “To the Naboo.”

Pooja Naberrie, flanked by a woman who must certainly have been her sister, stood before them with open arms. The gown that she wore was far more elaborate than the one that she had traveled to Ajan Kloss in and shimmered with varying textures and patterns. Her hair was pinned up, while her sister wore hers down with braids woven into it.

“My sister,” Pooja offered, waving a hand to bring the woman forward. “This is Ryoo Naberrie.”

“Thank you for your service,” she said with a kind smile. “We owe you so much.”

Poe nodded in acknowledgment. “Now let’s just hope we can get this thing off on the right foot so we don’t have to do this again in another 30 years.”

Pooja led the New Republic envoy, as they were now being called, away from the hangar to where she promised a wonderful meal was awaiting them. Rey was flanked by Rose and Kaydel Connix as they walked down the street until they were joined by Ryoo, who peeled her away from the others to chat.

“You are the Jedi my sister has told me about?” She asked.

Rey nodded. “I am. My name is Rey. I was trained by your cousins.”

The two women fell into step together as they walked. “If time permits, I would love to hear about them. I loved my aunt dearly and grieved immensely when both she and her unborn children had been thought killed. I wish I had been able to know them during their lives.”

Rey smiled and linked her arm with Ryoo as they walked and she told her about her time with Luke and Leia.

“Leia was the kindest person I’ve met in my life. She took me under her wing as soon as we met and treated me as though I were part of her family. I owe her a great deal. When Luke passed on, she took up my training herself. Without her, we wouldn’t have been able to end this war.”

“Luke was reluctant to train me and I regret that I didn’t get to know him as well as his sister. He worried that I would follow the same path as his nephew and eventually take what I had learned from him and turn to the dark. He did see past it, though, enough to teach me about the Jedi and why the traditional ways aren’t necessarily the best path forward for the order. I’ve taken up the Skywalker name to train the next generation of Jedi the way that he would have and to keep the legacy of my masters alive.” 

Ryoo smiled kindly, a tear shining in the corner of her eye. “Padmé, my aunt, would have been so proud of them. I wish she had been there to raise them.”

Rey nodded. “They did, too. The families that raised them treated them as their own, though, and they were very loved. Leia spoke so highly of the Organas and of her time on Alderaan.”

“I remember them briefly from my childhood. The times that I visited my aunt on Coruscant she seemed to always be in meetings with Bail Organa; little did anyone know at the time, but they were of course already taking steps to protect their people from the war.” Ryoo told her.

“They were good people and they had families that kept them safe and loved them. I only wish I’d had more time with them.” Rey said.

Ryoo smiled and responded rhetorically. “When someone we care for departs too soon, isn’t that what we all wish for?”

A few moments passed in silence before the older woman patted Rey’s arm and inclined her head towards the group in front of them.

”I’m sure we’ll have a chance to talk more later. Please, enjoy the sights with your friends for now.”

Rey nodded and caught back up to the others just before they reached their destination; the Palace of Theed. She had never seen a building so grand and knew at once that this was the seat of power of Naboo. The mid-afternoon sun gleamed off of its marble and metal exterior and guards in deep red uniforms ushered them inside.

.

“Your Majesty; the delegation from the New Republic.” A voice echoed throughout the impressive chamber when they entered.

A girl of no more than fifteen was seated on the throne. Her skin was painted a milky white accompanied by a deep red lipstick and adornments on her cheeks. Her hair was pulled into an elaborate headdress that must have weighed nearly as much as she did and she wore a gown comprised of several layers of beaded and embroidered robes in a deep cobalt color. Rey was truly impressed when the young woman not only stood, but moved somewhat swiftly towards them.

“General Dameron,” she said, her tone even and unreadable. “Welcome to the Naboo.”

“Queen Jalinda, it is an honor. We are humbled by the assistance that the Naboo has been able to offer us in rebuilding.” Poe replied.

“I have it on good authority,” she nodded towards the Naberrie sisters, “That you are all in need of some of the palace's hospitality before you complete your journey to the Lake Country and begin your work. My kitchens have prepared a meal and I would be honored to be joined by the heroes of the New Republic.”

The Queen’s handmaidens stepped forward from the shadows to lead the new arrivals into a grand dining hall. Rey realized that most of them were younger than her and all moved with such grace that they could have been dancers if they weren’t attending to the Queen.

The food served was possibly the largest meal that most of them had ever seen. Waiters in long robes brought course after course to the long table and kept the goblets that they drank from filled with their choice of beverage. Rey had opted for tea, a drink that she’d learned to appreciate while in the company of Leia Organa. The meal was a true treat for the senses, as they were delighted to find live music played by a small orchestra that had begun to play from one end of the chamber.

The guests were served bowls full of exquisitely prepared fruits and vegetables followed by plates of meats and cheeses that Rey could not identify. She caught Finn’s eye from across the table and gestured at the spread with a sense of disbelief that he returned. Poe quickly caught on and shot them both a warning glance, eliciting giggles from both Rey and Rose.

The main course arrived and Rey felt like she’d become one with the Force after her first bite. Queen Jalinda explained that it was a braised Shaak roast that came from an animal that roamed plentifully on Naboo. Rey decided that it was the most satisfying dish she’d ever tasted. The meal was followed by the arrival of a delicate type of bread, called Five Blossom Bread which Rey initially planned to pocket some of for later, but thought better of it, considering the palace’s banquet hall deserving of better behavior than that of a scavenger.

While they dined, Rey regaled the Naberrie family with stories about their cousins. She wished desperately that they could have been there to tell the stories themselves, but Rey was now the torchbearer of their legacy, a thought that filled her with pride.

“I wish we’d been able to know them,” Ryoo said wistfully as she examined a holoscan of Luke and Leia that had been taken during the celebration following the destruction of the second Death Star.

“They were truly wonderful,” Rey told her, smiling at the image of her masters. “Poe served under Leia far longer than I had known her.”

Poe glanced over at hearing his name. “Are you passing the storytelling on to me now, Skywalker?” He said in a mock challenge.

“No one here knew Leia better than you, General.” She replied with a smirk.

Hours must have gone by in feasting, drinking, and conversing. They told war stories and shared their hopes for the rebuilding of the New Republic with the members of the Queen’s cabinet, who were all in awe of the bravery that their guests possessed.

“I am so honored and humbled by your company this afternoon. Please, while you are here, the Naboo is happy to be your home and you will find nothing but allies in my court. Any request shall be granted and no expense will be spared in assisting with the revival of our Republic. My people and I are forever grateful to you.” She tipped her bejeweled head towards those seated at the table. “However, the hour has grown quite late and I am afraid that I must retire. Safe travels and good night.”

She rose and was flanked by two of her handmaidens as she left the hall, the guests all rising to their feet as she did. A handmaiden who had stayed behind gestured to them to be seated once more once the Queen had departed.

“Speeders are waiting outside to bring you to the Lake Country. It is not a far ride from Theed,” the hooded young woman told them, gesturing for them to follow her out beyond the palace walls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naberrie family <3 for the win. I assume they’re still alive in canon - there’s nothing to contradict it, so... *shrug*


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some fluffy drama <3

“This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” Rey whispered as she stepped over the threshold of the lakefront villa.

For a young woman who had spent almost the entirety of her life living in the hollowed-out hull of a derelict AT-AT in the middle of a desert, she found herself completely overwhelmed by the splendor that surrounded her. She glanced over and could tell that the feeling was mutual among many of her companions.

A protocol droid awaited them just past the foyer and large flower arrangements gave off a bright and welcoming scent. Rey had slung a pack over her shoulder with a few changes of clothes from the _Falcon_ and she carried it through with her, careful not to set it down on anything for fear that she might tarnish any of the beautiful decors.

She passed through the room and exited onto a patio that overlooked the water, a beautiful island rising from its depths across from her. Rey dropped her bag on the ground and hopped into a seated position on the sculpted permacrete railings that lined the space. She knew she’d be leaving this place as soon as she could, but let herself imagine for a moment what it might be like to stay there forever.

It wasn’t long until she heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Poe. He stood at her side and leaned against the railing, his arms crossed beneath him as his head hung for a moment.

“You’re leaving,” he said. “Aren’t you?”

Poe brought his eyes up to meet Rey’s and she tensed.

“Did Finn tell you?” She asked.

He laughed. “No, you’ve just got that ‘there’s something I need to do,’ look in your eyes. I assume you’ll be taking the _Falcon_?”

She nodded. “And Chewie, if he’ll come along.”

Poe sucked his teeth and looked out at the water. “I want you to take Finn with you, too.”

Her brows furrowed as she hopped down from her perch. “Are you over him that quickly, then?”

He shook his head. “That’s not it and I hope you know me better than that, Rey. It’s because he told me about what you said; that you can train him. I think going with you would be better for him than sitting around here buried in bureaucracy.”

“You make a good point,” Rey said, turning to him with a smile. “Good thing he’s already told me he’s coming along.”

Poe gave her a look of incredulity as a smirk spread across her face.

“I just wanted to see what you said about him leaving,” she teased.

Rey’s arms crossed across her body, following the lines of her wrap. There was a slight chill to the air as the sun disappeared behind the peak of the island and she fought off a shiver.

“Should I ask where you’re going?” Poe asked

“I’m not sure yet. Wherever the Force wills, I suppose,” she told him. “If Ben is out there, I’ve got to find him.”

He shook his head, placing his hands firmly on her slight shoulders. “Rey, he’s not out there. You said yourself that you watched him die.”

“That’s the thing,” Rey countered. “I don’t think he is. I can feel him in the Force. For now, that means there’s still hope.”

Poe sighed and ran the fingers of one hand through his thick curls, his other hand planted firmly on his hip. He spun away from Rey and then back to face her.

“What happens if you find him, Rey?” He asked, his voice serious. “You think he’s just going to come back here with you as if nothing happened?”

“Poe, please,” Rey whispered, her voice heavy with emotion.

“I know he gave his life to save you, I know he’s Leia’s son; that doesn’t mean he didn’t commit atrocities across the galaxy. The Hosnian System? Remember that? Kijimi? He saved you but he’s murdered billions.”

Poe was shouting by then and tears were streaking down Rey’s face. She knew that he was right and the weight of it was crushing her as if a rock had been planted on her chest. She composed herself, then.

“I’ll come back alone or not at all,” she told Poe, walking away without waiting for a response.

Poe searched high and low for Rey, hoping to apologize, but she was nowhere to be found. He deserved to feel the way that he did about how he had chastised her. He had a right to be upset, though; he’d lost friends on the worlds that the First Order had destroyed and in combat against their forces. He’d lost Leia, and she was the closest thing that he’d had left to family.

He knew that Rey had told him that Kyle Ren had been used by Snoke and Palpatine much in the same way that Finn had. He’d been corrupted since his youth and shown that those who served the Dark cared more about him than his own family did. When Luke had betrayed him, he knew exactly where to turn.

He sat outside drinking some liquor that he’d raided from the bar. The golden liquid was smooth and warm as he took a long swig from the ornate glass in his hand.

A hand rested then on Poe’s waist and drew him near in an embrace, catching him by surprise. He turned to see Finn. Finn’s head dropped to meet Poe’s in a brief kiss before they rested their foreheads together.

“She’s devastated, you know,” Finn told him, softly.

Poe nodded. “I know. I’ve been trying to find her. I wanted to apologize.”

His partner shook his head. “No use. The feelings you have towards him are real and valid, just like the ones I have. Now, though, we have to trust Rey and trust in the Force.”

Poe’s shoulders slouched as he let out a long sigh. “I know they are, but everything we know about him is eclipsed by what Rey said, isn’t it?”

“For now, at least. If we find him and he is what she says, we can give him a chance. It’s what you did for me.” Finn said, his hand gripping Poe’s bicep.

“You were different. You defected, Finn. You saved me,” Poe was looking into his eyes now and both of them were fighting the urge to shed tears.

Finn smiled. “So did he, and he saved Rey. Maybe we’re not that different after all.”

“I hate it when you’re right, you know that?” Poe replied with a soft smile on his lips.

“I know,” Finn laughed, pulling Poe in for another kiss, deeper this time.

“Be safe, Finn,” Poe told him.

Finn raised an eyebrow. “Like I’m ever not?”

Poe stabbed a finger into Finn’s chest. “You’re going to give me grey hair, you know that? Both of you. I mean it. Whatever you find out there, you’d better come back here to tell me about it.”

“I will,” Finn told him, grasping Poe’s hands. “I promise.”


End file.
